Dylan plans one final memorial event for his murdered sister Celeste. He and his wife are finally ready to move on but the arrival of their former best friend Eden has disasterous consequences for their marriage…
Don’t Trust Her is a psychological thriller with elements of murder mystery.
Dylan, Parker and Eden were best friends until the first two paired off and Eden headed to Italy. In the intervening years there has been very little contact but Eden decides to attend the twentieth anniversary and final memorial for Celeste. Dylan is thrilled to be reunited but Parker is worried because Eden used to want Dylan for herself. Is she being insecure or does Eden have plans to take her husband?
There is a massive tension between the three former best friends. Dylan thinks Parker is overreacting but doesn’t know how strong Eden’s feelings used to be. I loved the dynamic between the characters and found myself unsure of who to trust. I wanted Dylan to support his wife and was angry that he was letting Eden drive a wedge between them, but I also felt that Parker should have had more faith in the strength of their relationship.
The book is written from the first person perspectives of the three main characters in the past and present. This gives us an understanding of the dynamics of the friendship and I can certainly see why Eden was devastated to be betrayed by Parker after they’d promised that neither of them would date Dylan.
There is also the mystery of Celeste’s murder and the suspicious behaviour of their neighbour Julian who might have been a peeping tom but definitely witnessed everything through his binoculars. I agreed with Parker that Dylan needed closure and was initially annoyed with Eden for dredging up the past but equally I wanted the truth to finally come out so justice could be served.
Don’t Trust Her is an engaging and strongly narrated psychological thriller.
Book Links
Book Blurb
Parker had the perfect marriage. Then Eden came home.
Twenty years have passed since Dylan’s beloved sister, Celeste, was brutally murdered. Now he plans an anniversary memorial for the sister he misses to this day.
When their childhood friend, Eden, comes home to attend the memorial, Dylan invites her to stay with him and his wife, Parker.
But Parker is apprehensive. She remembers a time when Eden had designs on her husband, and she worries she still carries a torch for him. Her fears seem confirmed when Eden openly flirts with Dylan and captivates their pre-teen daughter.
As Parker desperately tries to hasten Eden’s departure, Dylan resists, fondly remembering the time they spent as childhood friends. And when Eden brings up questions about who murdered Celeste, Parker’s fears only escalate. She thinks her husband’s mental health could suffer if Eden keeps digging.
Can Parker get rid of Eden before she destroys her family? And why has Eden really come back to town? As the two old friends circle each other, past secrets are revealed and they find themselves hurtling into a vortex of unimaginable pain and terror.
Don’t Trust Her – the gripping psychological thriller from the best-selling author of The Other Couple and The Guest.
Cathryn’s Bio
Cathryn Grant writes psychological thrillers, psychological suspense, and ghost stories. She’s the author of twenty-three novels. She’s loved crime fiction all her life and is endlessly fascinated by the twists and turns, and the dark corners of the human mind.
When she’s not writing, Cathryn reads fiction, eavesdrops, and tries to play golf without hitting her ball into the sand or the water. She lives on the Central California coast with her husband and two cats.
This is Cathryn’s eleventh psychological thriller with Inkubator Books.
Cathryn’s Links
TRIGGER WARNING: Nazi brutality and the Holocaust
Trudi’s family are sheltering a Jewish family in their attic. The house is raided and Trudi is entrusted with keeping the two young girls safe. Trudi decides she wants to do more to fight against the occupation of her country and the persecution she witnesses on the streets. She joins the resistance…
The Girl from the Resistance is an historical novel set in the Netherlands during WW2. It is actually based on a true story which makes it even more poignant.
Trudi is a young woman in occupied Netherlands in 1941. She is revolted by the brutality she witnesses and vows to help defy the Nazis in any way she can. She is given sole charge of two young Jewish girls after their parents sacrificed themselves so that they could escape. Once hidden at a safe location, Trudi begins to look for other ways to resist and joins a local group, dropping off information and ammo before moving on to acts of sabotage.
The book is written in the third person to show Trudi’s journey into danger. There are several big events that see Trudi risk her life and these are dramatic and tensely described. Friendship and hope are important themes in this book which also does not shy away from the negative choices people made in the face of the Nazi occupation. It would be easy to condemn collaborators but this book shows that individuals had genuine reasons for doing so.
I believe that this is the first book in a new series about three real life women. This makes me wonder if we will see more of Trudi’s life in later books and I would love to know if little Rosy and Louisa are ever reunited with their parents or if they perished in a camp.
The Girl from the Resistance is an engaging and dramatic historical book about bravery in the face of constant danger.
1941, Nazi-occupied Holland. Trudi can hear the muffled sobs of two heartbroken little girls as they peer wide-eyed from their hiding place behind the bookcase. Rosy and Louisa’s parents have been dragged away by soldiers. Now Trudi is the only one who can keep them safe…
When Nazis break down the front door of eighteen-year-old Trudi’s home and seize the Jewish couple hiding in her attic, she’s devastated, and is suddenly solely responsible for their two innocent children. The whispered rumours about the resistance are her only hope. A man called Frans and his cousin Piet risk their lives every day, helping scared and abandoned Jewish children escape into the countryside. Under the cover of night she races to beg for their help.
When the girls are offered a safe house, Trudi is relieved. But with soldiers on every corner of the cobbled streets, getting there will be extremely dangerous… she must dress up in a German nurse’s uniform and convince anyone who asks that she is transporting two children to hospital.
Trudi will have to give up everything to protect Rosy and Louisa. She will have to lie to her friends and family, and learn to fire a weapon that could take someone’s life. The only consolation is Piet’s dark eyes and handsome face as he stands beside her helping to plan her next steps.
But Trudi suspects someone close to her told the Nazis about the hiding place in the attic, and they’ll stop at nothing to make sure the girls do not escape…
A heartbreaking, inspiring and uplifting tale about the sacrifices we’re prepared to make for innocent people. Fans of Mandy Robotham, The Nightingale and All the Light We Cannot See will love this unforgettable historical series based on true stories of the heroic women of the Dutch resistance.
About Imogen Matthews
Imogen Matthews writes novels based on true stories about the Netherlands during the German occupation in World War 2. Some stories she discovered by chance, others are based on her Dutch mother’s own experiences of hardship and survival during the Hunger Winter of 1944-45.
Her first novel, The Hidden Village, is set in the Veluwe woods, a beautiful part of Holland that Imogen has visited frequently over the past 30 years. It was in these woods that she discovered the story of the real hidden village which provided shelter in underground huts for Jews during WW2. Imogen retells the story of the hidden village with characters drawn from real life and from her imagination.
Within weeks of publication in 2017, The Hidden Village became an international bestseller, ranking at the top of a number Amazon’s most-read book lists.
Following on from The Hidden Village comes Hidden in the Shadows, which has the pace of a thriller yet is also a love story. It tells the story about two young people who are brutally torn apart and must find a way to be together against all odds.
Imogen’s third WW2 novel, The Girl Across the Wire Fence, is set in Amersfoort, Netherlands, and is based on the unforgettable tale of two young lovers who risked everything to keep hope alive in the very depths of hell – the little known Dutch concentration camp called Kamp Amersfoort.
Imogen’s WW2 novels are published by Bookouture, a digital imprint of Hachette.
Author social media
Facebook: @theHiddenVillagenovel
Twitter: @ImogenMatthews3
Brooke and Bailey were best friends until Bailey joined the cheerleading team which started a chain of evenets that led to her apparent suicide. Twenty years later, Brooke returns to her hometown and finds Bailey’s missing necklace. Was Bailey murdered and who kept her necklace hidden for so long…?
Prom Queen is a dual timeline psychological thriller showing us the past and present experience of Brooke as she adjusts to the change to her friendship followed by the mystery surrounding Bailey’s death.
Brooke returns home to renovate then sell her late mother’s house. She meets true crime podcaster Hannah who is wearing a familiar necklace. It belonged to Brooke former best friend Bailey who died on prom night 20 years ago. Hannah doesn’t believe that Bailey’s death was an accident or suicide so calls on Brooke to help her investigate with a view to finding a killer.
The book is written from Brooke’s first person perspective in the past and present. The chapters from the past create suspects and suspicion which Brooke follows up in the present day. I felt desperately sad for the best friends as they split but remain neighbours. I’m sure that almost everyone will have gone through teen friendship angst so will be able to identify with Brooke and Bailey.
There is plenty of mystery as Brooke joins in with the investigation to support the podcast. I suspected eveeryone and had no idea about the truth behind Bailey’s death. Brooke receives anonymous notes that add to the tension as someone thinks she is lying and this could place her in danger. I was not expecting the huge twist at the end!
Prom Queen is an intriguing mystery with a strong narrator.
MEDIA PACK
Book: Prom Queen
Author: Laura Wolfe
Pub Day: October 9th 2023
Buy Link:
About the Book:
Twenty years ago, someone murdered my best friend the night she was crowned prom queen. Now I’m finally going to prove it…
After Bailey died, I fled our small lakeside hometown and never returned. But now I’m forced back here and I can’t avoid the constant whispers about our prom night, the suspicious looks of the people I grew up with.
Then I bump into a woman in a coffee shop and my eyes are drawn to the silver locket around her neck, glinting in the sunlight. My blood runs cold. I know it’s Bailey’s—she never took it off. And it’s been missing since the night she died.
The shock of seeing it again jolts me back to that terrible night: Bailey under the glittering lights, blowing kisses to a crowd glaring furiously back at her. Bailey wasn’t supposed to be prom queen—and someone made her pay for it.
Officially her death was ruled a tragic accident, but I knew better. I’ve never seen this woman before, so why does she have my best friend’s necklace? There has to be a reason, and this time I’ll stop at nothing to find out what really happened to Bailey the night she died.
Everyone in this town has secrets. But as I edge closer to the truth, I’m afraid of what lengths they’ll go to protect them…
A gripping psychological thriller with a twist that will make your jaw drop, perfect for fans of The Woman in the Window, The Wife Between Us and Lisa Jewell.
Author Bio and Social Media
Laura Wolfe is an Amazon charts bestselling author who writes twisty, fast-paced psychological thrillers and suspense novels published by Bookouture. Her indie titles have also been shortlisted for multiple book awards. Laura is a lover of animals and nature. When she is not writing, she can be found hanging out with her husband and two kids, growing vegetables in her garden, or spoiling her rescue dog. She enjoys living in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Get Laura’s FREE short story (a mini psych thriller), The Perfect Escape: https://t.co/RTGEoz9VgY
TRIGGER WARNING: domestic and child abuse, serious mental health conditions
James Owens is released from a secure hospital after being incarcerated following a significant crime a decade ago which he cannot remember. He needs to adjust to life outside but is haunted by the abuse from his father which manifests as hallucinations. His twin sister offers to help but can he trust her or even himself?
The Patient is a psychological thriller set in America.
Poor James. He is completely overwhelmed from the moment he leaves the hospital. He has no recollection of the incident that saw him convicted and imprisoned. His overbearing sister arrives and his fragile mental state immediately worsens.
The hallucinations and descriptions of mental illness are very powerful and devastating to read. It was quite upsetting to read of the abuse from the past and the fear that existed within the family. The use of the first person narrative of James allows us insight into his struggle to understand reality in the present day. However, he seems so nice and kind that we are willing him to be innocent and get a happy outcome.
Ooh I hated Janet. She was such a baddie from the start and I instantly mistrusted her. Meanwhile I also didn’t trust his probation officer Brianna who was just too nice and completely inappropriate by overstepping her professional boundaries. I had to completely suspend my disbelief but the book was entertaining. The writing style was engaging and the main character was so well written.
The Patient is a tense thriller which deals with some big issues as well as having plenty of emotion.
Book Links
Book Blurb
Ten years ago, James Owens was convicted of a murder he couldn’t remember committing.
Now, finally released from the mental institution where he’s served his time, he is placed under house arrest in the sprawling family home he has inherited from his father.
Living in isolation, visited only by his therapist, parole officer, and supportive but controlling twin Janet, he at least has something resembling peace. But he is still haunted by hallucinations, nightmares, and bizarre memories which may or may not be real.
Strange sounds in the house, and objects which disappear or are mysteriously damaged all add to his fear that he is sliding into uncontrolled insanity again.
But is he? Or is his fragile mental state being manipulated by someone with a sinister agenda of their own?
When tragedy strikes, James must go on a journey that will force him to confront the past – and the haunted depths of his own tortured soul.
Cole’s Bio
Cole Baxter loves writing psychological suspense thrillers. It’s all about that last reveal that he loves shocking readers with.
He grew up in New York, where there crime was all around. He decided to turn that into something positive with his fiction.
His stories will have you reading through the night—they are very addictive!
Cole’s Links:
