Vanessa Dunn is a successful businesswoman and trying to give something back to the community. She volunteers at a hospice and a homeless shelter. She meets characters along the way that need her help but could she be making a mistake in trusting the wrong people?
The Mistake I Made is a psychological thriller and domestic drama with a huge twist! I’d advise not to read the blurb as it might give clues about the plot which I loved discovering for myself…
Vanessa is newly divorced, her mum has dementia and her sister is irritatingly free spirited. She is dealing with so much that I immediately wanted Vanessa to find some positives in her life! She meets a former acquaintance in the hospice she volunteers at and is entrusted with a mission to find a dying woman’s child. Meanwhile she tries to help ex cons to rehabilitate by offering them jobs in her interior design company.
Sinister events, such as recurring sightings of a motorcyclist and a break in at her shop, create an atmosphere of tension as Vanessa tries to help her dying friend. Someone doesn’t want her to succeed but could she be in danger? I mistrusted one of the characters but I think this was clever misdirection by the author. My hackles were raised by the selfishness of Vanessa’s sister Izzy who breezes in and out, creating havoc and criticising Vanessa for caring for their mum. The characters really come to life and I felt invested in Vanessa finding happiness as she is so generous with her time and money.
There is a major twist in the final quarter of the book. It really blew me away and made me rethink so many of the characters and events. The whole style of narration and dynamic of the book changes and I was absolutely gripped by the plot developments.
The Mistake I Made is a carefully and cleverly crafted book with a huge twist. I have previously reviewed A Good Mother by Sam Hepburn.
The Mistake I Made: A totally gripping psychological thriller with a jaw-dropping twist by Sam Hepburn
A man is dead. And only I know why.
As we sit drinking wine by the river and I gaze into his dark brown eyes, I know I have finally met the man of my dreams. I have been hurt before, but this time will be different.
He has a terrible past and everyone tells me he can’t be trusted, but they don’t know what I know. I know deep down that together we can overcome anything.
Because sure he has secrets, but who doesn’t?
But now a man is dead. And the police are knocking on my door.
Was trusting him the biggest mistake I could make…? I don’t know where to go or who to turn to. What if I am next?
This addictive and gripping psychological thriller is perfect for fans of The Housemaid, The Family Across the Street and The Family Upstairs.
Sam Hepburn read modern languages at Cambridge University and, after a brief spell in advertising, joined the BBC as a General Trainee. She worked as a documentary maker for twenty years and was one of the commissioners for the launch of BBC Four. Since then, she has written several books, including psychological thrillers Gone Before and Her Perfect Life, and novels for young adults and children. She won the 2017 CWA Margery Allingham Short Story award and has been nominated for several other prestigious prizes, including the CILIP Carnegie Medal for her YA thrillers.
Sam has worked and travelled widely in Africa and the Middle East, and is a trustee of the Kenyan’s children’s charity, I Afrika. She now lives in London with her husband and children.
