The Daughter in Law by Shalini Boland
Genre: Psychological thriller, Domestic thriller, Suspense
Read: 1st November 2022
Audio Links
Published: 4th November 2022
★★★★★ 5 stars
DESCRIPTION:
Your new husband has a shocking secret. Would your mother-in-law kill to protect it?
From the moment I meet my new mother-in-law in her beautiful country house, she makes it clear I’m not welcome. Lilian Fletcher hates me for marrying her precious boy on a golden beach far away from her.
Starting our marriage living in the Fletchers’ family home is a nightmare. Then I discover Seb was married before and his first wife is dead. I wonder why the man I love didn’t tell me the truth. And I wonder what happened to her: the woman who came before me. How did she die?
Lilian’s steely blue gaze follows me everywhere. Then the accidents start to happen, and I know she is behind them. It starts with small things, like a dropped birthday cake, a spilt glass of wine. But then my mother-in-law accuses me of something terrible. This woman is determined to get me out of her son’s life.
Now I wish I’d never met my handsome, clever husband. Or come to this luxurious house that feels more like a prison.
But I have secrets too. And no-one knows who I really am…
From the USA Today bestselling author, this totally addictive psychological thriller will keep you guessing all the way to the final shocking twist. Perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train, Gone Girl and The Wife Between Us.
MY THOUGHTS:
I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Shalini Boland's tense domestic thriller THE DAUGHTER IN LAW.
Wowsers! This has to be one of my favourite Shalini books to date! But then there are so many. But THE DAUGHTER IN LAW is a different tale and the setting in complete contrast with previous thrillers. I absolutely loved the whole cosy pub setting and felt like I was in an episode of Midsomer Murders there. I could picture the thatched roof, the cosy fireplace, the character-filled rooms with beamed ceilings and the warmth of the booths whilst outside the snow pelted against the heritage listed window panes. That pub alone was the winning aspect of the entire tale...but the plot was just as twisted and deliciously so. As only Shalini does.
Seb Fletcher arrives home after a three week holiday in Australia but with he brings a special souvenir - a wife, Caroline. Needless to say, his family are shocked. His parents Lilian and Brian are speechless and, well, less than thrilled. But, it is what it is and they must move on. Or do they?
Lilian is sure that Caroline isn't all that she appears to be and she sets about keeping her eyes open, keen to prove her suspicions. How can two people meet, fall in a love and just know they are the one to spend the rest of their lives with after just three weeks? And given her son's history she isn't at all sure he knows quite what he's doing. But maybe Caroline does.
Caroline is keen to prove to her in-laws that she loves their son and wants only to make him happy. But the tension between her and Lilian is rife from the outset making them all living together above the pub somewhat uncomfortable. Having managed a bar back in Byron Bay, Caroline eases into her new role as waitress in the pub's restaurant, handling customers with friendliness and ease. Until one of them gets a little too handsy and she puts him back in his place. Unfortunately, Lilian spotted the altercation and steps in to soothe the situation, dismissing Caroline from her duties for the rest of the day. As she makes her way to the staircase leading to their private resident upstairs, Caroline cannot miss the smirk on waitress Mariah's face. Did she set her up?
Things only go from bad to worse as tensions continue to bristle between the family. It is obvious that Lilian doesn't approve of her new daughter in law and Caroline can't seem to put a foot right with her. It seems that Seb and his father are continually trying to put out the fires that appear to ignite between the two women. Is this really just a case of jealousy over a mother's son and his new wife? Or is there something more sinister at play?
Almost from the beginning, it is clear that almost everyone appears to have a hidden agenda. Just exactly who can we trust? It seems there are secrets and lies flying all about and everyone is just a little bit economic with the truth.
The dual narratives from Caroline and Lilian gives the reader two vastly different perspectives in the way that they see each other...as well as the intense power struggle going on. It is clear neither trusts the other. Interspersed throughout are the narratives of sisters Amy and Michelle with no real clue as to how they fitted into this somewhat dysfunctional story. It certainly added a bit of mystery...though it wasn't difficult to figure out. I guess I read so many of these types of thrillers that I learn to look in places others don't. I don't expect the expected but rather the unexpected.
Shalini Boland is one of my favourite go-to authors and I am never disappointed with one of her fast paced thrillers. I loved the atmosphere she created with the pub setting which is so different from her more domestic settings but I loved it! What I also loved is she brought a little bit of my home into the story - Australia (though I'm not from Byron Bay). I am always thrilled when I see Australia referred to or written into a story somewhere. It seems Brits have a something of a love affair with my country! lol
And as usual, Shalini doesn't disappoint with her deliciously twisted reads that are fun, entertaining and fast paced throughout. I read this in one sitting! And as always, she leaves us with a bit of a twist at the end...one that I didn't see coming but that makes oh so perfect sense in hindsight.
Overall, THE DAUGHTER IN LAW is an addictive cat and mouse twist filled read that is fast and compelling throughout. I loved every minute of it and it is by far one of my favourites of hers to date. I think this is about my tenth book by her and never in a million years will it be my last...lol Keep them coming!!
I would like to thank #ShaliniBoland, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheDaughterInLaw in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Her debut psychological thriller "The Girl from the Sea" published in June 2016 reached Number 1 in the US Audible charts. Her second thriller "The Best Friend" published in October 2016 reached a high of number 10 in Amazon's UK Kindle charts. It also achieved number 1 in all its categories and was a Kindle All Star title for several months in a row.
She is also not a morning person.
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10 Things My Readers Might Not Know About Me
My dreams (nightmares) nearly always involve the characters and settings that I’m currently writing about. For example, last night I dreamt that I’d abducted a baby and tried to hide him in my husband’s car, but I couldn’t get the doors to lock. It was awful! Maybe I’d have a better night’s sleep if I wrote rom coms.
I love all fruit except bananas. The smell, texture, taste – ugh. No. Just no. Keep that evil fruit away from me.
I write for a living, and so does my husband, but neither of our children are particularly avid readers. My eldest is dyslexic and has never enjoyed reading or writing. My youngest quite enjoys it, but has to be pretty much forced into trying a new book. How did this happen? I have no idea. We always read to them when they were younger. We have a houseful of all kinds of books. Ah, well, I’ll keep trying.
When I was nineteen, I hitchhiked at night in Israel and ended up in the middle of nowhere convinced I was going to die. Turns out I only needed to walk another two minutes to find myself back at the kibbutz where I was staying. I’ve never hitchhiked since.
My writing companion is a little Poodle/Lhasa Apso/Terrier cross called Jess who sits at my feet while I type. Sometimes she sneaks up onto the sofa and rests her chin on my keyboard. I’m not sure I could write without her nearby.
When we were in our twenties, my husband and I set up VW car shows. Our events were all jinxed. Over the course of six shows we had four instances of major theft, a forest fire, the worst storm on record, someone set up illegal rave, an outbreak of foot and mouth disease, and an actual bomb scare with police cordoning off the area and evacuating everyone. Plus, we only made a profit during our first show, the other times we just about broke even. Not a huge success.
Nearly all my novels are set in and around the area of Dorset where I live. I moved here when I was eighteen, but I feel like this is my true home. I love it – the towns, beaches and countryside are beautiful.
Good coffee and chocolate are my weaknesses.
I used to be a singer songwriter and once sang on stage at The Brixton Academy in front of four thousand people. I don’t know how I did it. I’m such an introvert these days.
I feel very lucky to write for a living. Every day, I’m truly thankful and appreciate that I’ve finally discovered what it is I love to do – it only took me forty years to work it out! It isn’t always easy and some days I need a kick up the backside to stop procrastinating and get working. Other days are overwhelming and I do get anxious about what my readers will think of each book. But I wouldn’t change it for the world. I only hope people will continue to enjoy my books and allow me to keep doing what I love.
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