Sara-Jayne Townsend is a published crime and horror writer and likes books in which someone dies horribly. She is founder and Chair Person of the T Party Writers’ Group. http://sarajaynetownsend.weebly.com/
Doctor Alex Taylor wakes up tied to an operating table. The man who stands over her isn’t a doctor. The choice he forces her to make is unspeakable. But when Alex re-awakens, she’s unharmed, and no one believes her horrifying story. Determined to prove she isn’t losing her mind, Alex sets out to find out what happened to her, even if it means sacrificing her friends, her career and her lover in the process.
This is a very gripping psychological thriller, with an ending that took me by surprise. Alex is frustrated by her inability to convince people she’s telling the truth, even when other victims turn up. The reader is equally frustrated with Alex’s plight, as there are very few characters on her side in the novel – only Nathan Bell; her gentle and damaged colleague seems to have faith in her. The two main police officers investigating the case are divided. Greg Turner develops an infatuation with Alex and wants to believe her story. His colleague, DC Laura Best, apparently develops an intense dislike for Alex for no discernible reason and becomes convinced Laura suffers from Munchausen’s Syndrome by Proxy, and is hell bent on finding evidence to prove it. Her stubborn-ness actually becomes quite annoying, and Alex’s boyfriend Patrick, also convinced she’s had some kind of psychological breakdown (is also an irritating character).
Still, in the end Alex manages to get to the bottom of what’s going on, in a climax that will have you utterly gripped. Fans of psychological thrillers and medical dramas will find much to like in this compelling debut novel.
