The Driving Seat: what is your freedom worth to you...?

by Abigail Abbas

Emma Propeller is trying to swerve the wreckage of her marriage. When her husband returns from rehab with a new lover, Emma bolts with her baby on a midnight train to a castle in the Scottish Highlands. A job as a live-in driver for a glamorous marchioness promises safety and the chance to reinvent herself. Everything seems to have fallen into place.

But the castle is no sanctuary. Dark secrets stalk its halls, the marchioness's behaviour spirals into the unhinged and someone, Emma suspects, is following her. She hasn't steered herself out of danger – she's driven straight into it.

290 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 2, 2026

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a full spoiler version of this review, please check out my blog, spoiledbooks.blogspot.com

4 stars

This one started off so strong for me. We follow Emma, a sleep-deprived new mom whose already fragile life implodes when her unreliable, narcissistic husband goes missing… and then things only get worse from there. What begins as a domestic drama quickly spirals into something much bigger and stranger.

The portrayal of a toxic, narcissistic partner felt very real and honestly hit close to home. That emotional core kept me invested even when the plot started piling on twist after twist (and then a few more for good measure 😅).

It did lose a bit of focus for me toward the end, but overall I was hooked and genuinely enjoyed the ride.

[Jen E · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved this!! great story start to finish, quick pace with short chapters, and really did not see the twists at the end.

would love to see another story for Emma, how she gets on working and running the visitor centre and castle etc..

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I were stranded on a desert island, I’d want The Driving Seat. Useless for navigation. Absolutely essential for sanity. Abigail Abbas wins.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​