My review
A good author is one who writes a book with well etched characters, where the story and plot lines flow and generally the reader is left feeling happy. 

A great author is the one who captures the reader’s attention from first page, pulls the reader into the story, where each emotion of the character is felt and the book reads like a movie, each chapter is a scene of the movie. 

And Shalini Boland is a great author. Her book pulled me in from the first page and she took me on an intriguing journey. I felt anger, sadness, grief, helplessness, loss, self doubt, the need to know the truth, every emotion that the main character, Tessa, felt. 

The story is simple- Tessa walks into her kitchen, there is a child there who asks her, are you my mummy???

And the story starts…. Who is the child, Harry? Why does he say she is his mother? Who has left him there in her home? Is Tessa going mad, did she kidnap the child? Will the police believe her?  Why does her ex want her to see a therapist? What is the agenda of neighbour/journalist Carly?? 

Will Tessa ever find the truth?? 

All these questions and more are answered by the author, Shalini Boland, with her fabulous writing, fantastic story telling and a prose which flows seamlessly. The book is non pretentious, does what it is supposed to, and brings suspense and thrill while reading. I literally had goosebumps while reading the book. And I still have a book hangover… 

What I liked about the author’s writing is she writes to the point, all that is needed to add to the story without being frivolous. The book is a page turner from the beginning to the end, I read it in 3 hours flat. Usually suspense thrillers start slow, take ages to build up then has a finale but this book takes no prisoners from the get-go. And there is not a moment where the pace slows, I love books like that which do not allow us to think but takes us on a whirlpool of events with full-on suspense and thrill, an absolute roller-coaster. 

I think Ms Boland, you have done it with this book… We have a winner on our hands. This was my first book by her and I think both she and I now know that she has a fan in me. 

I received an ARC from NetGalley and publisher Bookouture and this is my honest and unbiased opinion. 

My rating : 5 stars 

About the Author 

Shalini Boland lives in Dorset, England, with her husband and two noisy boys. Before kids, she was signed to Universal Music Publishing as a singer/songwriter, but now she spends her days writing suspense thrillers and dark adventures.

Book blurb 

Tessa Markham comes home to find a child in her kitchen. He thinks she’s his mother. But Tessa doesn’t have any children. Not anymore. She doesn’t know who the little boy is or how he got there.

After contacting the police, Tessa comes under suspicion for snatching the child. She must fight to prove her innocence. But how can she convince everyone she’s not guilty when even those closest to her are questioning the truth? And when Tessa doesn’t even trust herself…

Product Details 

Publication date : 9th November 2017

Publisher : Bookouture 

Language : English 

Available on Amazon