DESCRIPTION:
It was just one night away. I had no idea how devastating it would be…
My sister said I deserved a break. She offered to babysit so that my husband and I could have one night away, remember who we used to be before the sleepless nights.
But the next morning my phone rings. My sister is hysterical. Mabel’s cot is empty. My little girl is gone.
I race home with a horrible sick feeling flooding my stomach. The little sleepsuits still hang on the radiator but there is no gurgling or cooing on the baby monitor – just silence.
Now the police are questioning everyone. My sister, my husband, the girls from my baby group.
I want my little girl back more than anything and I will do whatever it takes. But I have a secret… Could the darkness in my past have put my baby at risk?
A truly gripping psychological thriller of manipulation and betrayal from bestselling author Jess Ryder. The Night Away will have you hooked until the final devastating revelation. Perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train or The Woman in the Window.
MY REVIEW:
I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Jess Ryder's addictive new domestic thriller THE NIGHT AWAY.
There have been quite a few missing child stories/thrillers in recent years and I admit to being a bit of a sucker for them. But this one is slightly different in that we know from the beginning what happens to baby Mabel...although not who is responsible or why. And that makes this thriller a little more enticing.
Someone is watching Amber. Someone watches her every move...her routine, her habits, her flat. Someone sees how desperately unhappy she is and curses her for being so ungrateful for her perfect life, her perfect husband and her perfect baby...the baby that should have been someone else's. Not Amber's. And one night when Amber isn't watching, her whole world is going to fall apart.
New mum Amber should be ecstatic. After months of trying to conceive unsuccessfully, she fell pregnant and both her and hubby George were over the moon. Throughout her pregnancy she glowed and couldn't wait to meet her precious longed-for bundle of joy. And then baby Mabel arrived...and since then, Amber has felt nothing but the crushing and overwhelming sense of guilt and unhappiness. She wanted Mabel so much and now she is paying the price by twenty four non-stop hours of trying to deal with her incessant crying and demands of her time. She should be happy...she knows she should be. She wanted Mabel so much...but was it too much?
Amber's younger sister Ruby can see her sister is struggling so suggests a week away from it all. A week? Too long. Five days then? Mabel would miss her. OK, so a weekend then. In the end, they decided on a night away. Just one night away. And Ruby would babysit. George took the opportunity to book a gorgeous and romantic getaway for them so they could spend some precious time reconnecting with each other.
But then one night while Ruby babysits Mabel, someone walks into the flat in the dead of night, creeps into the nursery where Mabel is sleeping...and takes her from her cot. And then the real drama begins. George instantly blames Ruby, for being inattentive and for letting Mabel disappear on her watch. Amber blames herself, for wanting Mabel too much and this is her punishment. Ruby blames herself...after all, she was supposed to be looking after Ruby...how could she not notice her disappear in the middle of the night?
But who was to blame really for Mabel's disappearance? Who took her? And why?
Told in three perspectives - Amber, Ruby and the stalker - THE NIGHT AWAY, which was actually two nights away on separate weekends, is a well written tale that will have you hooked from the very first page. There are so many secrets within the story keeping it a page-turner from beginning to end. I was encapsulated by the stalker and who they may have been, as well as Amber and Ruby's tangled lives. There were several twists, some of which I didn't see coming. But I picked up on a little tidbit dropped to the reader in passing and I snagged on that little morsel till an idea began to evolve.
I didn't much like Amber or George, nor Amber and Ruby's mother, but they were perfect for this role. I loved Ruby probably because I most identified with her. Not being a mother myself and thrust into the role of babysitter and finding the task a little more daunting than at first thought...lol I think I would have been left exhausted myself. The other minor characters were also a perfect addition to the story and worked well.
I especially loved this excerpt from the second chapter when Amber woke at 5am declaring she was not a morning person...
"She can hear him (daddy) singing to Mabel as he baths her...It's not Mabel's usual bath time, but she woke up with a full nappy, the contents of which had mysteriously spread up her back, and it was the easiest way to clean her up. Judging by the protests coming from the bathroom, her daughter isn't a morning person either."
I can so relate! There were a few laugh out loud moments in the book though mostly it was an edge of your seat thrill ride.
The ending was a bit anti-climatic as you anticipate the police bursting in ready to rescue Mabel and whisk her away back to her frantic parents. But overall, THE NIGHT AWAY is a well plotted addictive thriller that will keep you guessing until the big reveal.
Definitely recommended for lovers of domestic thrillers.
I would like to thank #JessRyder, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheNightAway in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Jess Ryder is the author of five psychological thrillers - 'The Ex Wife', 'Lie to Me', 'The Good Sister', 'The Dream House', The Girl You Gave Away' and her latest, published November 2 2020 - 'The Night Away'. All titles are published by Bookouture. She also writes as Jan Page. With many years' experience as a scriptwriter, she loves watching television crime drama. Jess is a passionate reader and particularly enjoys thrillers.
Jess lives with her partner in London, UK and has four grown-up children.
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