I am such a big Lisa Jewell fan. Her books are always haunting and disturbing, in best possible way. Well-written thrillers with twists and turns… and she’s not afraid to get dark.. really dark. I still think about Then She Was Gone and The Family Upstairs all the time. This one was not quite as dark as the others but I still really enjoyed it. The book follows Owen Pick: a 33 year old virgin teacher whose life is falling apart: he’s suspended from his job, living in his aunt’s spare room, and turning to online forums for solace. Across the street, there is the Fours family: Roan (a child psychologist)and Cate, and their two teenage children: Georgia and Josh. We know right off the bat that Roan doesn’t seem to be a good guy, but more comes into play there. Last but not least is Sapphyre Maddox: Roan’s ex-patient, who develops an unhealthy obsession with following and watching Roan. But when Sapphyre disappears and all signs point to Owen as the culprit, a mystery ensues. There is some (minor) sexual abuse in this one so if that’s a trigger, maybe skip it, but otherwise I found it to be unputdownable. I loved it!
Author: Lisa Jewell
