Intriguing, suspense-filled Family Drama – The Perfect Stepmother by Karen King
Title: The Perfect Stepmother
Author: Karen King
Publisher: Bookouture
Pub Date 17 Jun 2021
Pages: 297
Rating: 4*
My Review:
This is a contemporary, suspense-filled mystery which starts with the disappearance of a child, five year old Emma, then goes back to events leading up to this.
Lily’s parents had a happy marriage and were overjoyed by the birth of Emma, some twenty years after Lily. However, their idyllic life was torn apart by their Mum’s battle with cancer and it is almost a year after her death that the story starts, when her Dad informs Lily that he intends to marry someone who cared for her Mum, Maria. Lily can’t say why but she just doesn’t trust Maria, even though she seems to love both Lily’s Dad and her young sister……
This is a story of secrets, lies, revenge, mental illness, grief and family. It is an enthralling read, a real page turner that has so many surprise revelations to keep you guessing right to the end. If you enjoy family dramas, packed with mysteries, grab yourself a copy of this!
Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for my copy of this book which I have voluntarily read and honestly reviewed.
Description
‘I just want to be your friend.’ She smiled at Lily, her dark brown eyes impossibly sincere. ‘And to be a mother to Emma too, of course.’ Her gaze flickered to Lily’s sister, but only Lily saw her expression momentarily change – from warm and loving to something else. Something Lily didn’t trust…
Lily has always had a simple dream: to be happy like her parents were. Content in their sweet suburban home, nothing in life had phased her mother and father, not even when they’d had a ‘surprise’ second child, Emma, nearly twenty years after Lily.
But their love story was cut tragically short, when – after a devastating battle with cancer – Lily’s mother died. Lily was heartbroken, but also desperately worried about her grieving dad, not to mention five-year-old Emma.
So Lily is shocked and concerned when he suddenly decides to remarry, less than a year after her mother’s death. It feels far too soon, and Lily finds herself furious with him – and his new wife, Maria, who can apparently do no wrong. She seems madly in love with Lily’s dad and instantly bonds with Emma.
It’s only Lily who can’t trust her.
Who won’t trust her.
And when Emma goes missing – could Lily be right? What if the greatest danger to them all is the woman now living in their family home?
A totally gripping and unmissable psychological suspense novel about dark family secrets, perfect for fans of Shalini Boland, Claire McGowan and Gone Girl.
