Sarah Bonner

Helena and Thea are dear friends, so when Thea hears that Helena has died, she wants to investigate it. Told in dual timelines (Helena, 2018 and Thea, 2022), we learn of Helena's marriage to Edward, her fraught relationship with her mother-in-law Geraldine, and her fear of being discovered for influencing the family's inheritance. Helena helps Ella, who Geraldine recently fired, to get a job with Edward. She shares her concerns with Ella.
Later, Thea wants to find Ella, as she believes Ella may have a clue to Helena's death. She finds Jen, who agrees to help Thea get revenge on Edward.
All of this leads to a very twisty plot. Lots of secrets, lies, and revenge - as well as a lot of grifting!
I felt like I knew where some of this was going, but there were a few surprises for me. I enjoyed this quick read.… (más)

#FirstLine ~ My mother-in-law is already holding court in the dining room when I arrive to meet her for lunch.

Helena, a beautiful and successful woman living a seemingly idyllic life in Exeter, is harboring a secret that could shatter her perfect world. Her marriage appears blissful, but beneath the surface, a hidden truth threatens to unravel everything she holds dear. When mysterious notes start arriving, Helena is forced to confront the unsettling reality that someone else knows her secret. The ominous question lingers: What will her husband and his domineering family do if they discover the truth?

Meanwhile, Thea, still reeling from the loss of her best friend Helena, becomes determined to uncover the truth behind Helena's untimely death. As she delves into the circumstances surrounding the tragedy, Thea receives a menacing warning, compelling her to halt her investigation. Undeterred, she believes Helena's death was no accident; it was a deliberate act of murder. Driven by a relentless desire for justice and revenge, Thea embarks on a perilous journey to uncover the sinister truth.

With the looming suspicion that the husband may be involved, the tension mounts, and everyone becomes a potential suspect in this gripping tale of secrets, betrayal, and the pursuit of justice… (más)

Megan lives with her husband of three years, Chris. They spend a lot of time apart because of the nature of their individual jobs. Megan has never "strayed" although she suspects that Chris has. When Chris is home he likes things to go his way.

Megan's mother is in a nursing home with the early onset of dementia and Megan constantly looks for signs that her mother's memory loss is hereditary. Chris realises this, and plays on it.

The story begins with Megan's discovery on her husband's phone of a picture of herself in underwear that she has never seen. That's how she knows that he is seeing her identical twin Leah. She and Leah have a very fractured relationship and rarely see each other.

Her knowledge that Chris is having an affair with Leah gives Megan "permission" to find someone new for herself. She also decides to confront Leah, with dreadful consequences.

From that point, you are hooked. The story becomes compulsive with sections narrated by Megan, Chris, and Leah, cleverly following on from each other. Until an incredible finale. Megan told you what was going to happen, but did you take her at her word?

The lockdown caused by the global pandemic adds another element to the whole scenario.… (más)