It’s perfection, every word, every moment. A masterpiece . . . One of the best books I’ve ever read.” —Lisa Jewell, #1 New York Times bestselling author I found that the middle got a little slow for me and I found myself getting distracted easily. I also had to listen to the epilogue twice to fully understand it. Again, I think reading the book might have been more enjoyable for me. Jen, watching from a window, witnesses her 17-year-old son, murder a man in front of her home. What could have made her sweet son murder a man? Now that he is in custody, what will become of him? The fact that Jen sought out someone studying time traveling, as if there could be a plausible and scientific explanation.

The story begins with Jen witnessing her son kill another boy and as the police arrive, Jen’s life begins to crumble. Her son is charged with murder, in possession of the knife and the victims blood on his hands and clothes. I figured the big twist out just a bit early, but was surprised by other twisty turns the journey took me on! I may be a bit of an outlier, and while I enjoyed it, it wasn't a stand out for me.

The narrative drags on and on as repetitive incidents occur over and over again and we get to hear Jen’s inner thoughts about how she’s not a good mother and that she’s a lawyer (If you took a shot each time you explicitly said she was a lawyer, you’d be dead now). Jen decides to find out the details about the stranger who was murdered. She embarks on a challenging yet exciting journey into the past to unravel the mystery behind everything that happened. Uneven pace, can feel a very slow at times. The start is exciting and then it slows down till about half way. I was so happy to read from an article written by the author that the writing of this book changed the whole outlook of the author towards motherhood which made her decide to have a baby. This book also has the power to influence the reader's perspective regarding the beautiful relationship between mother and children.

Jen wakes up the next morning, after a night at the police station, ready to fight, to hire lawyers, to try to understand how she had “come to raise a murderer. Teenage rage. Knife crime. Gangs. Antifa. Which is it? Which hand have they been dealt?” She is, she thinks, “an excellent rescuer, has spent all of her life doing just that, and now it’s time to help her son”. But, as she slowly comes to realise, the impossible has happened. It is 28 October and Todd has yet to kill anyone. A remote weekend getaway for two couples soon turns into a nightmare when they accidently discover a naked woman running through the woods. Being the good samaritans that most people are they take her in, believing they will help her only for her kidnappers to turn up on their doorstep instead, determined to leave no witnesses. DO recommend: Those who love fast-paced horror, short reads, settings in the countryside of Scottland One sentence review: A unique take on a domestic thriller that falls short due to an inane number of commas and questionable other writing style choicesI liked the ending of this book. It was not what I expected at all and I love when a book can still surprise me. All in all a pretty good read. A great introduction to this author and I look forward to reading more of his work. Then you spot him: he's with someone. And - you can't believe what you see - your funny, happy teenage boy stabs this stranger. I loved Jen–determined to help her son, determined to get to the bottom of what was going on, and intelligent enough to use whatever clues she could each time she woke up somewhere new. There are plenty of surprises in this story and once I got into the swing of what was occurring (and once Jen accepted that it was taking place and stopped trying to figure out the how/why/trying to tell everyone around her what was happening) I was able to put on my puzzle solving hat and go with the flow of what Jen was trying to discover. Overall, this book will have you questioning the choices you make and their unintended consequences. It will likely appeal to those who enjoy twisty sci-fi thrillers.

Kelly and Ryan were the same person. Ryan was a police officer who went undercover to infiltrate a drug gang, using the name of his estranged brother, Kelly. (The real Kelly was into drugs and possibly dead? I can’t remember).I always think it is useful to see an extract of an author’s writing and in this book there are quite a few action focussed parts to choose from but I thought this one is quite interesting as its intriguing without giving too much plot away: This is my third Gillian McAllister thriller and it did not disappoint! I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by Lesley Sharp. Her British accent is somewhat difficult to understand, but she does a fantastic reading, so I was able to stay with it. There wasn’t enough build up as to why Todd stabbed Joseph. If Todd bought a knife as a form of protection, to me that indicates that he must’ve felt on guard and unsafe around him and yet just 2 days before he was at Joseph/Ezra’s house. And when his mum found him there he just looked embarrassed and annoyed rather than worried considering the company… Wowza, this is an absolute mindblower. I’ve been a fan of Gilly McAllister for several years but in my opinion this is the best yet. My advice, don’t read the blurb, go in blind for greater enjoyment. All I’m going to say is that on day zero just after midnight Jen is anxiously waiting for her son Todd to come home. She spots him and shortly after her world stops turning. What follows on takes Jen on a journey of discovery after discovery. If you are aware of these techniques used by liars, you can easily detect liars. The polygraph test is also used for detecting liars in certain investigations. Some perfect liars tell lies more convincingly than the facts. It is tough to detect their lies.