The Woman on the Bench by Eliot Stevens
Genre: Domestic thriller
Read: 1st September 2022
Published: 28th August 2022
★★★ 3 stars
DESCRIPTION:
At last, Mark has found the perfect woman. There’s just one small problem – his wife.
Married couple Mark and Cecilia seem to have it all – looks, wealth, love. But behind closed doors, things are very different – they live in silent resentment, their marriage broken by the shattering loss of the child they so desperately wanted.
Enter Alice – Mark’s idea of the perfect woman. She appears from nowhere and offers Mark the chance of a new life filled with love, passion, and – finally – the joys of parenthood. Everything he’s ever dreamed of.
But there’s a catch.
Mark can’t leave Cecilia because she knows a dark secret from his past that would ruin him if it was revealed. And he’s sure she'd be more than happy to use it against him if he betrayed her.
Mark’s future with Alice seems doomed. Until one night, in a secluded cottage on the Dorset coast, they hatch an unspeakable plan that might bring devastating ruin, or life-long happiness…
But who is Alice, really? And can love ever begin with murder?
The Woman on the Bench is a gripping psychological thriller, perfect for fans of Mark Edwards, K. L. Slater, and Daniel Hurst.
MY THOUGHTS:
This is a hard one to review as I have mixed feelings about it. I was intrigued by the premise and began in eager but then the whole thing became a little boring with the narrator being a tad self-obsessed and justifying his adulterous intentions towards a relatively complete stranger. But the promise that was dangled of what was to come kept me ploughing through and I guess it was worth the wait...because that twist was delicious when it came. I knew one was coming but not how it would unfold. So it was a nice touch.
The story is told from a somewhat bored husband and self-obsessed narrator, Mark, who is married to the beautiful Cecilia. The couple have been married a number of years and saw themselves growing old together with the children they longed to have. But after a late-term miscarriage at six months gestation, they have been struggling to find common ground once again. Cecilia grows distant and keeps her husband at arms length whilst Mark wonders if they will ever regain the marriage they used to have.
Whilst at a party with friends, Mark sneaks outside for a secret cigarette. And it is there that he meets the beautiful and beguiling Alice. They exchange but a few words, share a cigarette before she disappears into the crowd. But Mark has felt an instant attraction. He wants her. He thinks about her constantly. He knows at once that he is in love. But all he knows about her is her name. Alice. And she consumes his every thought as he ponders how to find her again.
But Alice makes the first move by suggesting coffee together. The meeting is brief but shrouded in promise and innuendo. They continue to meet on a bench, leaving secret notes for one another as they plan a clandestine weekend together at his cottage on the Dorset coast. And from there...they hatch an even bigger plan...murder...
At first we feel sorry for Mark. Lonely in a seemingly loveless marriage that just hasn't picked up after the loss of their only child etcetra etcetra... But then find out a little more about him and even his narrative shows us what a selfish man he is who cheated on his pregnant wife and instead of working on getting back to where they had been, sees an opportunity to get his leg over again with a beguiling stranger as soon as it's offered to him. The man was thinking with his middle leg and not his brain. In his defence though, I found Cecilia to be something of a cold fish myself and I couldn't warm to her at all. But whether that was all part of the author's intention through Mark's narrative to see her through his eyes, I'm not sure. I just didn't like her. She appeared to have a look about her that I didn't trust.
And Alice. How could Mark just throw everything away for a stranger he only just met, knew nothing about, not even her phone number? For what? A quick roll in the hay? And decides he wants forever to be with her? Love and lust, two different things, Mark. So when he is completely blindsided it's hard to feel sorry for him, really it is. But oddly enough, I do. Despite the fact he has been so smug about himself and his affair thus far.
THE WOMAN ON THE BENCH is a relatively satisfying thriller for a debut, despite a somewhat slow start that has Mark justifying his adulterous intentions from start to finish. It is one of those stories where one has to suspend belief a little as it was a tad far fetched, particularly as the story was told solely from Mark's narrative that the other characters weren't really developed enough to be believable. Maybe if it had unfolded through the three different perspectives of Mark, Cecilia and Alice...and maybe even one of his friends, Clyde maybe? It is a little trickier to do that without giving too much away but it does enable the characters to be better fleshed out and for the reader to get a proper grasp on them. And then when the final reveal does come, it would have an even greater impact.
Having said that, it was still a good read for a debut. The best part for me was the ending. I thought I could see where it was going but even I was taken by surprise for the most part. I knew something was going to happen...just not what.
I would like to thank #EliotStevens, #Netgalley, #InkubatorBooks and #ZoolooTours for an ARC of #TheWomanOnTheBench in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
The Woman on the Bench is his first psychological thriller with Inkubator Books.
Social Media links:
Website | Facebook | Goodreads
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