Single by K.L. Slater
Genre: Psychological thriller, domestic thriller
Read: 5th January 2020
Purchase: Amazon
(publication date: 25th November 2019)
★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)
Kim has done it again with her tenth psychological thriller SINGLE robbing me of yet another night's sleep! But boy, was it worth it! You know that when you pick up a K.L. Slater book you are going to be in for one hell of a ride...and will not be left disappointed. SINGLE was no different.
Darcy Hilton is a single mother with two boys - Harrison (8) and Kane (6) - who discovers a harsh truth about her husband Joel after his death. In the aftermath unable to cope, Darcy has complete breakdown which results in Joel's parents gaining temporary custody of her boys. Three years later, Darcy has her boys back and is well on her way to getting her life back.
Or is she?
Throughout the years since Joel's death, Darcy has come to rely on her in laws a great deal. Her sister-in-law Steph is her best friend and has always been like a sister to her, and Brenda (Joel's mother) has always been on hand to look after the boys when needed. Both women have a spare key to Darcy's Victorian terrace enabling them to come and go freely. In the past, this has always worked well for Darcy, especially when one or the other were bringing the boys back and Darcy was not yet home. But now, Darcy is starting to find her feet again and is beginning to feel a little stifled by the family, and she wonders if she had made a mistake in giving them such a free reign over her life.
Has she made a mistake?
One afternoon Darcy and Steph took the boys to the play park. Whilst they were in a debate about whether Darcy should start dating again, Kane suffers an asthma attack. Darcy panics. Emptying his rucksack, she could not find his inhaler anywhere although she knows she packed it! It seems Kane removed it in place of his toy cars he opted for instead...but Darcy could see that Steph was questioning whether she really did pack it. Feeling helpless, Darcy's cries for help are heard by a passing stranger who swoops in to assist...and who turns out to be a doctor.
George Mortimer is tall, handsome and a Urology surgeon in line for a promotion to head up the urology department at City Hospital. He is also a single father to his 6 year old daughter named Romy. When Darcy sends him a "thank you" note offering to buy him coffee by way of thanks for saving her son's life, the two of them discover they have more in common than they thought...finding themselves comfortable in each other's company.
Darcy falls head over heels for George and as one date leads to another...and another...they soon begin a relationship. But for fear of how her in-laws would react, Darcy keeps their relationship secret until she no longer can.
Then when Darcy gets notice that her Victorian terrace is being sold and Steph confides in her that she knows who is buying it, Darcy realises that the walls are closing in on her new life she has rebuilt. But it all seems to fall into place again when George asks her move in with him and Romy, and Darcy is ecstatic. Her in-laws, less so. In fact, they appear to find fault where ever they can, convinced that Darcy has relapsed and heading for another breakdown.
Are these just some ominous signs of things to come? And who is the mysterious woman with the vacant stare who appears to be following her? Who is sending her sinister messages? Why do Darcy's in-laws get so upset that she is dating again? And why take it so personally? And why is Joel's "other woman" returning to town? Is she the one following her? Leaving her messages?
As Darcy's world begins to crumble, she finds herself wondering - who can she trust?
SINGLE is told in several perspectives - mainly Darcy's but at other times in the third person from her in-laws Brenda and Leonard, Steph's and even George. There is a flashback to 1995 told from the perspective of a young 13 year old boy sent away to boarding school that leaves us pondering how that fits into the bigger picture. When it is revealed it's safe to say it wasn't what I expected.
Needless to say, this is a book where secrets and lies are in abundance. Literally everyone could be good or bad, innocent or guilty. Everyone has a secret and everyone's motives are questionable...and nobody is exactly who they appear to be. There are so many mysteries to solve within this book that will have you questioning just who is unreliable and who isn't. Including Darcy herself!
A story of trust, deception and betrayal, SINGLE is a psychological domestic thriller on a whole new level that will have you turning the pages long into the night. Nothing is as it seems...or rather, no one is who they seem. With twist after twist, you will be left breathless by the end.
My only real flaw with the book is that the 1995 narrative could have been fleshed out a little more because as it stands, it felt a little lost in the rest of the story...and as it was an important part to one part of the story (you'll know when you read it), I felt it wasn't given as much attention as it should have. To do so would have really thrown another twist in.
But how many twists can you have in one book? SINGLE just about has them all. And with so many twists and turns, I was almost getting whiplash from the ride! But what a ride it was!
Kim most certainly is up there as one of my favourite authors. She never fails to disappoint...even if I haven't yet read all of her work, I certainly intend to.
Highly recommended for fans of psychological and domestic thrillers...basically any fan of Shalini or Kim!
I would like to thank #KLSlater, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #Single in exchange for an honest review.
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