Rebecca then – a young school teacher, Rebecca lives with her mother who is dying of cancer. When she meets the charismatic Solomon, she is immediately entrapped by his clever emotional manipulations.

Solomon – a handsome man who is a genius with computers and technology. He came from a family of emotional abuse and manipulation, and he has turned out just like his father, only more so… He is morally bereft and completely without empathy.

Rebecca now – very happily married to a veterinarian and the mother of a darling four-year-old girl, her live could have been perfect.  That is, until Solomon was released from prison and her reign of terror took up where it left off.

Solomon now – tracks Rebecca’s every move via spy cams he has installed in every room of her home. After spending the last decade of his life in prison, he is now driven by an overwhelming desire for revenge.I have read this author before and thoroughly enjoyed her work. This time out, I was less enthused – and I know that my opinions of this title might be unpopular.

The writing was clever, and the author very knowledgeable about her subject matter as she worked with domestic abuse cases when she worked as a CID police detective.

The setting was one I loved. Pontyferry, was a small, neighbourly community in Wales.

The story’s protagonist was a victim of horrific abuse, mostly emotional manipulation, but some physical abuse as well. I wanted to feel more for her than I did, but found I just couldn’t. She seemed complicit in her own fate. This was a school teacher who was very bright, and was blinded by her infatuation at first, but after that, she should have tried harder to get away from Solomon who was clearly a psychopath.

Later, when Solomon was released from prison, she was again made to be complicit in his controlling and manipulative behavior – and his crimes. In my opinion, she had the chance to redeem her situation, yet her fear overcame her brains.

There was an awesome plot twist near the end, yet this if anything, caused me to be even less sympathetic to Rebecca’s character.

The book was a page-turner, yet Solomon’s evil and psychopathic behavior made me want to skim over some of his despicable actions. Rebecca’s plight was horrific, and that was difficult to read at times as well.

If you love tense situations, moral dilemmas, and a plot twist or two, then you very well might love this suspenseful novel. Hopefully, you’ll love it a bit more than I did.

This review was written voluntarily and my rating was in no way influenced by the fact that I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel from Thomas & Mercer via NetGalley.      

ISBN: 9781503941502 –  ASIN: B01GUUVTNK –  337 pages

This title is now available through Kindle Unlimited or for just .99¢ in Kindle format.

An international #1 and USA Today bestselling thriller author, Caroline Mitchell originates from Ireland and now lives with her family in a village on the coast of Essex. A former police detective, Caroline has worked in CID and specialized in roles dealing with vulnerable victims, high-risk victims of domestic abuse, and serious sexual offenses. She now writes full time, with over half a million copies of her books sold.

As well as her crime series, Caroline also writes stand-alone psychological thrillers. Her works have been translated into four different languages.

Follow Caroline Mitchell on Twitter @Caroline_writes OR on Instagram @caroline_writes