In this family, everyone is telling lies.
Pete never wanted another child. Before baby Erin was born, they were happy. If Natalie hadn’t got pregnant, he would never have done what he did.
Natalie knows things have been difficult since the surprise arrival of Erin. Life with Pete and their two other children – Emily and Zadie – has been balancing on a knife-edge.
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Now their home is full of guests at a party Natalie didn’t want to throw – and she’s about to reach breaking point.
But so is her family.
Because everyone has a secret that they’ve been hiding and when Erin suddenly disappears everyone becomes a suspect.
Surely no one here would want to harm their baby? But after the events of the party there are plenty of people who would want to hurt Natalie.
Including her husband…
My Review
I really enjoyed this and read it over two days. But there are a few things that wound me up about Natalie. This is her third child, so I get it – the other two were easy and Erin cries all the time. Natalie even imagines her baby hates her.
It’s obvious Natalie is suffering from post-natal depression. But when she goes to the doctor, she makes light of her desperation. Lay it on thick Nat. Get some help. Forget Valium (no-one takes that nowadays and ask for a modern anti-depressant together with some form of talking therapy). Take the baby in with you and get her checked over just in case she is suffering from colic, or is lactose intolerant or something else. Your husband can afford tickets to Australia and a diamond ring – spend it on a domestic cleaner and/or even a part-time nanny. I’m fuming!!
I was so involved in their lives (not in a creepy way like Natalie’s friend Eve), that I just had to keep reading. I did actually guess who took Erin and I almost snuck a quick peep at the ending to see if I was correct, but I resisted the temptation. Because everyone’s a suspect.
Pete is a bit of a prat, though nowhere near as bad as Eve makes him out to be, but Natalie doesn’t really help herself. Not that I’m blaming her, but she’s gradually sinking into a ‘slough of despond’, but instead of seeking help, she’s in denial. Not that I’m one to talk – denial is often the easy way out of facing the truth – but when your other children are suffering, you have to seek help. Teenager Emily feels that she is being put upon too much, being asked to help with the baby, while 8-year-old Zadie is wetting the bed and being disruptive at school.
Soon the whole family is falling apart and Pete is even more in denial than Natalie. You just want to knock their heads together and shout at them. Pete has his own answer to their problems – it’s based on rank stupidity – and things go from bad to worse.
Poor Erin. When she grows up, if she ever finds out what happened, or that she was initially unwanted, she’ll need therapy for many years.
Many thanks to #CompulsiveReaders for inviting me to be part of the #blogtour and to NetGalley for an ARC.
About the Authors
MJ Arlidge has worked in television for the last twenty years, specialising in high-end drama production, including prime-time crime serials Silent Witness, Torn, The Little House and, most recently, the hit ITV show Innocent. In 2015 his audio book exclusive Six Degrees of Assassination was a number-one bestseller. His debut thriller, Eeny Meeny, was the UK’s bestselling crime debut of 2014 and has been followed by ten more DI Helen Grace thrillers – all Sunday Times bestsellers.
Lisa Hall is the bestselling author of six psychological thrillers and the Hotel Hollywood time-slip murder mystery series. Her debut novel Between You and Me was a Kindle UK number one bestseller, sitting in the top spot for over four weeks. Lisa has a First Class Honours degree in English Literature and Creative Writing. She lives in Kent with her husband and their three children.
