BOOK DESCRIPTION
Can her own dark secret set her free?
Day one. As my eyes adjust to the darkness, I slowly start to recognise my surroundings: the small hole in the door and a narrow window allowing only a small chink of light. The jewellery given to me by my loving husband is gone and I am wearing someone else’s clothes. The room is exactly as the first woman described. And the second. And the third… It’s then I know, I am the fifth woman to be taken.
Just days before, I had interviewed the third victim for the local paper. Her story was the same as those before her: an ordinary woman, locked away for ten days then released with no explanation, and nothing – nothing she could think of – to link her to the others. Throughout the ordeal, her abductor stayed eerily silent.
I tell myself I’ll be safe; that I can brave the loneliness and survive just like the others. But as the days pass, I can’t help thinking of the fourth victim who is still missing.
And then I hear the voice coming through the door. ‘You said everything would be fine. But it wasn’t was it?’ It is then that I realise. If I am to make it out alive, I need to revisit a dark secret of my own that I have spent a lifetime trying to forget.
An absolutely unputdownable psychological thriller with a truly brilliant twist, perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, T.M. Logan and C.L. Taylor.
This book was previously titled Invisible Victim.
This seriously intense and at times heart string pulling thriller opens with a shocking chapter that is set in 2006 and narrated from the perspective of a terrified ten year old child. The plot then slips forwards to 2019 and we are introduced to senior news reporter Eva Farmer who has been married to her beloved husband Nick for four years. The day that Eva is captured starts like most others with Eva searching for her car keys and in a hurry because she had to get to a appointment on time. But Eva never arrived for the appointment, somewhere between home and her destination, she mysteriously disappears. The next thing that Eva is aware of is the fact that she is locked in a tiny room which only contains a mattress, a sheet, a tiny pillow and a bucket and Eva is shocked and terrified when she realises that she is the fifth victim. Over the proceeding months four other women had also disappeared, three of whom Eva had interviewed for articles in the newspaper that she worked for. Each of the women had described being held captive in a room that was identical to the one that Eva was now trapped in. One fact that the detectives who were investigating the case and that Eva was now holding on to was that the women had been released after being her captive for ten days. Well, three out of the four women had been released, a long time had passed since the forth woman's ten days were over and she was still missing. Where was victim number four? Was she still being held captive in another room, one that was identical to the one that Eva was being held captive in? Why had the women been taken prisoner and would Eva be released once her ten days were over? I really liked Eva, I thought she was a lovely, compassionate individual who really cared about the people that her articles were about and didn't sensationalise her stories just to attract more readers. The problem with really liking a main character is that I spent the entirety of the book with heightened feelings of anxiety over her well being. As many readers of psychological thrillers know, not all stories have a happy ending when it comes down to the fate of the main character or characters.
The chapters of this book predominantly alternated between the perspectives of Eva and the antagonist who was a opinionated and narcissistic individual called Alex. This character had a heart breaking and at times hard to read backstory but many people have tragic pasts and they don't resort to kidnapping women and torturing them. Or so they? you can never really know the full stories behind some peoples actions and behaviour. The question was, why was Alex so broken that the character felt the need to resort to such drastic actions and why did that person choose those five women as their victims? It would have been easy for me to label Alex as totally unlikable but the character did have some redeemable qualities,such as their protective nature towards another character called Milly. I didn't feel that it would be very fair of me to pass judgement on Alex's actions and behaviour due to the character's obvious mental health issues. Moral isn't black and white, it's a grey area, I'm not saying that I thought the character's actions were right or justified but that doesn't mean that it is wrong for me to feel a tiny bit of sympathy for that troubled individual.
Wow, just wow and wow again, this is a seriously intense, breath taking,addictive read with a plot that flips back and forth in time and short and snappy chapters that give the reader a very bad case of just one more chapter syndrome. The suspenseful story keeps you on the edge of your seat, caused the reader to experience a wide range of emotions and has a seriously spine chilling conclusion. The plot covers some relatable and relevant issues which the author has written about with care and sensitivity. I would love to watch a film or tv adaptation of this gripping thriller that I think is worthy of far more than five stars and is definitely going to be one of my favourite reads of this year.
AUTHOR BIO
My novels take you to the heart of the crime. I write police procedurals, psychological suspense and crime dramas - fiction with a punch. Shortlisted for the prestigious CWA (Crime Writer's Association) Dagger in Library Award, my inspiration comes from authors such as Martina Cole, Lisa Jewell, Mandasue Heller and Clare Mackintosh.
To date, I've sold 1.7 million books. All sixteen of my crime novels have been bestsellers, each one climbing into the Kindle UK top 10 and I've had several number ones. I've also had numerous Kindle All-star awards, for best read author and best titles.
I live in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, with my husband and terrier, Dexter (named after the TV serial killer) and make liberal use of my hometown as a backdrop for some of my books. You can find out more at my website www.melsherratt.co.uk
Author Social Media Links:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mel_sherratt/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MelSherrattauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/writermels
Publication Day: June 28th 2021
Buy Links:
Amazon: https://geni.us/B091FNX2K5cover
Apple: http://ow.ly/c1f250EdnVD
Kobo: http://ow.ly/xMTV50EdnRm
Google: http://ow.ly/PFp750Ee9Kg
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