When Brioni O’Brien agreed to help Cressida Howard find evidence that her husband was cheating on her, she had no idea what she was signing up to. Laurence Howard is the CEO of lifestyle conglomerate Ferryman, and if what Brioni has discovered is correct, he is also quite the ladies’ man as well as a deeply unscrupulous businessman. With blackmail, data selling, blackmail and possibly murder all coming to light, Cressida and Brioni have their hands full trying to untangle the web of lies and deception.

This is not the most revolutionary murder mystery/thriller of the decade. However, having said that, I found it to be a solid story, very compelling and surprisingly fun.
There are a surprising amount of threads which all come together quite nicely in the end. I started to get worried halfway through that it wouldn't all work and that there were just too many mini storylines, however I felt that by the end the story as a whole really did create one big picture.
I enjoyed the setting a fair amount, Laurence’s tangles work / social life was very interesting and the rural setting of Brioni’s cabin was lovely. The contrast of city and country add a nice element to the story.
I think that if you like quick thrillers, this is an enjoyable story. There are exciting elements, fun twists and interesting implications. Sam Blake has a good way of writing the world we know in a reasonably familiar way without being boring. Not my top read of the year (or month) but I did enjoy this, and would read more from Sam Blake in the future.
I would recommend this to those who enjoyed the Dark Room, fans of Megan Miranda and Kate Atkinson. ( )

Although this psychological thriller is told mainly through the alternating narrative voices of Brioni and Cressida, occasionally (and increasingly) the reader hears the voice of Emily Jane, Cressida’s seventeen-year-old daughter, who is engaging online with a distinctly dodgy sounding character called Danny Boy. I enjoyed the author’s creation of these strong, multi-faceted female characters to carry the complex storyline and was able to believe in the psychological profiles she developed for them. In fact, by the time I reached the end of the story I found myself hoping that maybe this won’t be the last time I get to spend time in their company! I was particularly impressed with how the author portrayed Emily Jane, and her role in the developing story, in such a nuanced way. I’d love to be able to illustrate this with some examples but doing that would introduce spoilers so, all I can do is urge you to read this story and discover for yourself what a surprisingly wonderful character she is!
The author’s portrayal of Laurence as not only an adulterer, but also a ruthless, amoral businessman who is prepared to lie, bully and blackmail in order to get his own way, created a character who was instantly (and depressingly!) recognisable. Although in many ways I found her depiction rather too stereotypical, it did make it very easy to thoroughly dislike him for his self-centred disregard for his wife and daughter, his colleagues and friends … as well as for his corrupt business practices!
It very quickly becomes apparent that there are multiple strands to the fast-moving, labyrinthine plot and although I found some of them rather predictable, as the story unfolded there were enough red-herrings and credible twists and turns to make this an engaging, tension-filled and page-turning read. The final denouement, although very satisfying, did require some suspension of disbelief but by then I felt invested enough in the three female characters to want a satisfactory outcome for each of them, so I didn’t find that too difficult to achieve!
‘It seems everyone has secrets’, is the last sentence in this rather dark and menacing thriller and, given the number which are uncovered as the story unfolds (right up to final pages), it felt a particularly apt reflection on which to bring this roller-coaster of a read to an end!
With thanks to Readers First and the publisher for an ARC of this novel in return for an honest review. ( )

On the outside Cressida Howard`s life looks perfect. She has her own successful company , a wealthy husband, a lovely home and a daughter who she adores. But things are not always as good as they appear to be.
Despite having been given a posh name, Cressida had a pretty humble start in life. She was bullied at school, and a chance comment from one of her tormentors made her work hard at that school , giving her the opportunity to go to a better school with posher pupils. It was through a friend at her posh school that she met her husband Laurence and his wealthy family. They married very young and had their daughter soon after.
Over the next seventeen years ,Cressida often became suspicious that her husband had been having affairs when he acted suspiciously. This story starts when she over hears a phone conversation between Laurence and some mysterious woman. She has had enough by now and she sets out to find evidence so that she can divorce him. The evidence she uncovers makes her believe that there is more to this than just an affair. Then things really start to kick off when somebody gets murdered. ( )