The Stepson by Diane Saxon
Genre: Domestic thriller, Domestic drama, Suspense
Read: 9th July 2023
Published: 19th June 2023
★★★★ 4.5 stars
DESCRIPTION:
When your whole life becomes one big lie…
The night my mum disappeared, after a panicked 3am phone, I knew something was wrong.
The police tried to reassure me. There had to be a logical explanation they said – perhaps she’s taking a break after the tragic death of my father.
But I know my mum.
Or do I?
She would never leave without telling me.
Or would she?
The harder I look, the more I discover deep, dark family secrets I was not privy too.
Worrying secrets I was ever meant to know.
Which means my parents have lied to me my whole life.
But why?
Who can I turn too? Trust?
Who is friend and who is foe?
Were they scared of something in their past?
Or were they trying to protect me?
Has mum gone of her own free will?
Or has someone taken her?
Diane Saxon’s compelling new thriller will have you questioning who you can trust to keep your family safe.
MY THOUGHTS:
Who do you believe...and who do you trust...?
It's 3.25am when Lorraine receives a phone call from her frantic mum. The words she utters at first she thinks the result of a few drinks to drown her depression after the tragic loss off her dad, Henry. But long after she's hung up, those words continue to circle her mind until she has worked herself up into a worry. But she can't just drop everything to go see if her mum's alright as there is no one to look after the children. So she will have to wait till morning. But as soon as she's dropped Sophia off, she'll be round at her mum's to check that she's ok...that all is well.
Only when she gets there five hours later, there is no sign of her mum. The house is in silence, the curtains still drawn, the bed has not been slept in. Her mother's handbag complete with her purse and her keys are still beside the lounge. Only her phone is missing. As is her mum. And as a cold dread fills her, Lorraine recalls those chilling words her mum uttered in the wee hours in a frightened whisper...
"Your dad was first. Now it's me. I'm so scared, but mostly for you and the children. Because once I'm gone, you'll be next."
After searching her mother's house, Lorraine goes to the police station to report her as missing. Only she's and adult and has only been gone for a few hours. She could be anywhere and be home at any moment. But Lorraine tries to impress on the man at the desk the importance of the situation. Her mother has no one. She wouldn't just disappear without telling her. Nor did she have anywhere to go. All Sandra had was Lorraine and the children. But there was nothing they could do unless her mother was deemed vulnerable. Was she vulnerable? She wasn't sure. The kindly man assured her that her mother will probably be back in no time and wonder what all the fuss was about, but if not, to return after seventy two hours...or was it forty eight hours? Lorraine can't remember. All she knows is that her mum is missing and some garbled message in the middle of the night that barely made any sense.
A return to her mum's house has her searching for answers and it comes in the form of her mum's kindly neighbour Mrs Tindall. Lorraine didn't really have time to stop and chat but Mrs Tindall was a lonely old woman and it wouldn't hurt. But little did she know that Mrs Tindall held the key to a Pandora's box and, while not a wealth of information, it was a start. She had in her possession letters written to her father over the years which he had hidden on their property, away from her mother who would go spare if got wind of it. The letters were from her father's son, Trevor. Which means he was Lorraine's half brother. A half brother she knew nothing about. Thanking Mrs Tindall, she took the letters home and poured over their contents, her eyes brimming with tears at the pleading tone. This poor boy. All he had been through. Why did her parents not give him a home?
It seems that's not all they didn't tell her as her quest for answers sends her on a three hour round trip to Liverpool and an aunt she barely remembers from her childhood, her dad's younger sister. Aunt Caroline fills in the blanks that have evaded Lorraine for thirty years...a whole life she knew nothing about.
But the question remains, where is her mother? And how much of the past has to do with her disappearance?
THE STEPSON is an entertaining, though at times heartbreaking, domestic suspense that had me turning the pages to find out what happened to Sandra. The story cleverly unfolds in the past and present narratives giving the reader a clear picture of events and how each of the threads entwined. There were so many secrets and plenty of deception which were slowly stripped away to reveal the truth. And what an ugly truth it was.
Quite honestly, I didn't like Sandra. Yes, she probably suffered from post natal psychosis as she was clearly delusional and irrational but that continued throughout the years and she was utterly horrible to poor old hen-pecked Henry. Whether she had good cause or not to make such demands, they were not her decisions to make and those she made were amidst the irrational fog of delusion. As for Trevor, I actually felt sorry for him. I wanted him to make it good, to turn his life around and never look back. No child should have had to endure what he had to. Nor should any child be used as a pawn in their parent's disputes.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story far more than the author's previous one "My Little Brother" and so glad I requested it. It was addictive, compelling and thoroughly entertaining. A good solid read.
I would like to thank #DianeSaxon, #Netgalley and #BoldwoodBooks for an ARC of #TheStepson in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
After working for years in a demanding job, Diane gave it up when her husband said, “Follow that dream.” She subsequently has 12 Romances published for the U.S. market.
Inspired by her long, lonely walks in atmospheric woodlands, Diane has gone over to the dark side to write British psychological crime thrillers. With a four-book deal through Boldwood Books, her first in series Find Her Alive was published October 2019 followed by Someone's There in February 2020 and What She Saw is due in September 2020.
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