Beth used to have a busy social life,lots of friends and aspirations of opening her own restaurant but then handsome Niall Kildare had charmed his way into her life. Now, fifteen years later, Beth's dreams,social life and friends were all just distant memories and she spent her days caring for her two young son's whilst walking on eggshells whenever Niall deemed his family were worthy of his company. Beth was desperate for a holiday but Niall had always insisted that he preferred to spend his spare time at home so she was understandably shocked when he suggested that they took part in a house swap with another couple called Amber and Renzo Mason. After some initial reluctance from Beth, the holiday was locked down and it was agreed that the Kildare's would spend two weeks in April staying at the Mason's luxurious villa that was situated on the Italian Amalfi coast whilst Amber and Renzo would be staying in Beth and Niall's rustic house in Sherbourne, Dorset.
Beth couldn't wait to spend some quality time with her husband away from the demands of his work as a best selling author but they hadn't even reached their holiday destination before things started to go wrong. Unbeknownst to Beth, she and her family were pawns in a scheming puppet master's twisted and perfectly plotted and planned production. A tale of lies,secrets,deception and ultimately murder with threads that reached back into the past.
The chapters of this captivating thriller were written from the alternating perspectives of two women who were polar opposites in character,demeanour and attitude. Beth was a loving, if at times overprotective mother to her two son's who I honestly thought very often behaved like a pair of spoiled brats. I couldn't help thinking that Beth was subconsciously forced to overcompensate during her interactions with the boys due to Niall's unpredictable behaviour and parenting skills. Other reviewer's have stated that they had thought that Beth needed to develop a backbone and was a bit of a doormat but I personally felt that her behaviour and demeanour came across as authentic and believable when you took into consideration the fact that she had spent fifteen years with a obnoxious bully like Niall. She did have her rebellious moments as demonstrated by her determination to stay friends with Sal in Dorset and Luciana in Italy.
There was absolutely no aspect of Amber's character that was likeable in any way, she was such a obnoxious individual and had so many character traits that mirrored Niall's that I thought that I thought the pair would have made a perfect couple. I thought that Amber's husband Renzo was adorable, he obviously adored his wife despite her flaws and behaviour towards him and their two children. To be honest,I very often get confused and struggle to understand some reader's observations and reactions to men like Renzo who are loyal and genuinely love their wives. The characters are very often written off as wimps and their behaviour is viewed as unrealistically sentimental. So it's wrong to beat and abuse your wife but it's also wrong to be devoted and loving towards her, that sounds very much like a case of your damned if you do and damned if you don't to me. I personally would much rather be married to someone like Renzo (which I am) than someone like Niall, thank you very much.
Interspersed throughout the story was chapters that were written in italics and voiced from the perspective of someone who we know from the beginning of the story has committed a shocking crime and is having doubts about their actions. But, who is this person and how do they fit into the drama that was unfolding under the hot Italian sun?
In my mind Shalini Boland is one of the queens of the psychological thriller genre, her stories are always guaranteed to be beautifully written,intricately plotted, addictive page turner's that keep you guessing and cause you to growl in frustration at anyone who has the audacity to interrupt you whilst you are immersed in her latest story. Her cast of vivid characters are each imbued with character traits that are authentic, realistic and relatable and as in The Family Holiday her stories generally have a unexpected concluding plot twist. I absolutely love this author's unputdownable stories and would gladly recommend her books to anyone who enjoys reading gripping, twisty thrillers.
AUTHOR INFO
Shalini lives in Dorset, England with her husband, two children and Jess, their cheeky terrier cross. Before kids, she was signed to Universal Music Publishing as a singer songwriter, but now she spends her days writing suspense thrillers (in between school runs and hanging out endless baskets of laundry).
Buy Link:
Amazon: https://geni.us/B09Q9BFP6Lsocial
Audio:
Listen to a sample here:
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