Published by Century Genres: Mystery, Psychological Thriller, suspense, thriller
Format: ARC, eBook
Saffyre Maddox was ten years old when something terrible happened to her and she has kept that trauma and pain secret. As an outlet for her pain, she begins cutting and her uncle (who is her guardian) sends her to therapy. After three years of therapy, her therapist, Roan Fours, feels she is ready to terminate therapy but Saffyre hasn’t even revealed her painful trauma yet.
Owen Pick is a 33-year-old teacher who has never had a friend let alone a girlfriend. He lives with his Aunt who won’t even let him into her living room and finds himself terminated from his job after allegations are made against him. He doesn’t understand what he did wrong. He has also had a traumatic past and is viewed by others as being “odd” and “creepy”.
Living across from Owen is the Fours family. Yes, the Roan Fours who just happens to have been the therapist who treated Saffyre, and his family live across from Owen Pick! What a small world! Cate Four is Roan’s wife and they have two teenagers living at home.
To top everything off, women are being sexually assaulted in the area. Then Saffyre Maddox goes missing on Valentine’s Day from the vicinity of Owen’s home. Soon, everyone is looking at him.
Is he responsible? Is he a victim? Is he creepy or just a misunderstood young man who has been labeled due to his looks and demeanor? Looks can be deceiving…. Is the predator hiding in plain sight?
This book asks how well do you really know someone? Everyone has secrets, some hide them better than others. What is it like to be judged? What is it like to carry pain and hurt around with you all day? What is it like to have someone form an opinion about you without knowing you? What are the consequences of labeling someone? What are the consequences of using poor judgment? Actions have consequences but will the bad people in this book ever get caught or found out?
This was an interesting book that moved at a very nice pace. The story is told through multiple POV’s and that helps us to get into the minds of the characters and to also keep the pace of the book moving right along. I found this book to be well written and thought-provoking. This is a great reminder that there is more to people than meets the eye and often the real monsters walk in plain sight.
Riveting, thought-provoking, and well written. Another solid read by Jewell.
Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.