BOOK SYNOPSIS
The invites went out weeks ago, and tonight, at a lavish manor house surrounded by friends and family, Kaitlin couldn’t be happier. But as the champagne corks pop, her dream party becomes her worst nightmare…
Staring at the stunning diamond solitaire on her finger, Kaitlin is finally getting the chance to introduce her best friend Zoe to her perfect fiancé. She hasn’t known Greg long, but he looks after her, and he loves playing dad to her young daughter. How could she say no when he’s already planned their elopement?
As guests arrive, why is Greg acting so shifty? And is that a flicker of recognition on Zoe’s face? And why does she look terrified every time her phone rings?
Kaitlin watches as Zoe knocks back her white wine and makes a beeline for Greg. After a heated conversation, Zoe stumbles towards the door and flees the party without looking back.
Days later, the police knock at Kaitlin’s door – Zoe is missing.
Kaitlin wants to believe her loving fiancé is not to blame, but she knows what she saw the night of the party. And when he lies to the police, can she trust the man she’s marrying? Could Kaitlin and her precious daughter’s life now be in danger too?
Kaitlin and Zoe had been best friends since they had met at sixth form college,supporting each other through the various trials and tribulations of their respective lives. It had been Zoe who had encouraged Kaitlin into finding the strength of character and courage to finally leave her abusive ex husband Sean. Due to life commitments,the friends hadn't communicated for a while but now Zoe was returning to the UK from Portugal to attend Kaitlin's lavish birthday and Kaitlin couldn't wait to introduce her best friend to her handsome fiance Greg. A man who was the polar opposite to obnoxious Sean, did everything in his power to make Kaitlin feel happy, safe and secure and treated her five year old daughter Ruby as if she was his biological daughter. But, the friend's reunion doesn't go as well as Kaitlin hoped it would and things take a even stranger turn when Kaitlin introduces Zoe to Greg. Why did Zoe appear to take a instant dislike to Greg? Why had Greg suddenly started to act strangely and so out of character? Suddenly, what should have been a joyous and happy occasion was clouded with a atmosphere filled with tension and suspicion. Then, after a heated argument, a visibly upset Zoe storms off into the night and mysteriously disappears. As the police start digging into Zoe's life, Kaitlin finds herself overwhelmed with feelings of guilt and remorse over what had been said on that fateful night. She also struggles to shake her doubts and suspicions about Greg's reaction when he saw Zoe. What had happened to her best friend after she ran off into the stormy night? Was Greg somehow involved in Zoe's disappearance? Could he really be trusted or had Kaitlin and her young daughter jumped out of the frying pan and into a hot raging fire? The vast majority of this thriller/police procedural is narrated from the perspective of Kaitlin, a complex character who lived with a number of relatable issues and someone I can't say I thought was very likeable at times for a variety of reasons. I thought that Ruby was so adorable and I loved the interactions between the little girl and Kaitlin's parents Jayne and Richard. The plot covered various parenting and relationship styles from loving and supportive to controlling and abusive and contained a number of characters who were untrustworthy and concealing their true natures behind various different masks. My stand out favourite was DI Adam Diaz who was the officer in charge of the investigation into Zoe's disappearance, a case that had more dead ends than a maze and multiple threads which reached back through time into the past.
At the start of the story there was chapters that were written from the perspective of Zoe which gave the reader a insight into her life,character and opinion on the relationship between Kaitlin and Greg. She couldn't help expressing her concerns about the speed in which things had escalated between the couple but was Liz worried because she knew how badly Kaitlin had been hurt in the past. Were Liz's concerns about Greg justified or was she simply jealous of her friend's happiness due her own disastrous relationship history? In my opinion, Sheryl Browne is one of the undisputed queens of the psychological thriller genre,her stories are consistently well written, cleverly plotted reads and The Invite is no exception. Her characterisation of the various individuals who appear throughout the story are distinctive and believable. I was placed into a heightened mix of anxiety and anticipation by the opening prologue and the levels of tension intensified as the story unfolded and worked it's way towards its intense and unpredictable conclusion. I was so captivated by the various plot twists and turns that I was compelled to read the whole book in one sitting. Another brilliant addition to this talented author's catalogue of incredible thrillers and very very highly recommended by little old me
AUTHOR INFO
Bestselling Author, Sheryl Browne, writes taut, twisty psychological thriller. Sheryl’s latest book to be published with fabulous BOOKOUTURE is THE INVITE. Her previous works include the DI Matthew Adams Crime Thriller series, along with contemporary fiction novels The Rest of My Life and Learning to Love. A member of the Crime Writers’ Association and the Romantic Novelists’ Association, she also has short stories in Birmingham City University anthologies where she completed her MA in Creative Writing. Sheryl has obtained a Certificate of Achievement in Forensic Science and – according to readers – she makes an excellent psychopath.
Sheryl lives in Worcestershire UK with her husband and her rescue dogs, Brie and Pablo.
To find out more about Sheryl’s novels, go to www.facebook.com/SherylBrowne.Author/ or follow @SherylBrowne on Twitter. To find out more about Sheryl, go to www.sherylbrowne.com
PUBLICATION DATE: 22nd February 2022
Nicki, you are a star! Thank you so much for reading The Invite and a wonderful review! I'm truly thrilled that you recommend it so highly. THANK YOU!! xx
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