Deliver Me

by Karen Cole

THE NIGHT SHE DOESN'T REMEMBER WILL BE THE ONE SHE CAN'T FORGET

When Abby's doctor tells her she's two months pregnant she doesn't believe him. She can't be - she hasn't had sex for over a year. But to her astonishment and dismay, multiple tests confirm it's true.

Desperately searching for an explanation, Abby recalls New Year's Day - the terrible hangover, the hole in her memory where the night before should have been and the inexplicable sense of unease - and realises that this baby must have been conceived at her best friend Danny's NYE party.

Horrified that someone would have taken advantage of her intoxicated state, Abby enlists the help of Danny to find out which of the party guests assaulted her. But, when she starts to receive anonymous messages, it seems that while she has been looking into the father of her baby, someone has been watching her...

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Psychological Thriller, Fiction, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook

281 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2018

About the author

Karen Cole grew up in the Cotswolds and got a degree in psychology at Newcastle University. She spent several years teaching English around the world before settling in Cyprus with her husband and two sons, where she works at a British army base as a primary school teacher. She recently completed the Curtis Brown writing course where she found her love of writing psychological thrillers.

Deliver Me is her debut novel.

~ from Quercus

Librarian's note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Abby, a young twenty-something, is told by her doctor that she is two months pregnant she is stunned to say the least. She hasn't had sexual intercourse since she broke up with her boyfriend, Ben, over a year ago. She is so insistent that the doctor is mistaken that she takes two pregnancy tests at home only to have her fear confirmed.

She realizes that two months ago was New Years Eve where she attended a party at her best friend Danny's house. She recalls becoming very drunk and knocking back tequila shots the entire night. The problem is she can't really recall much of anything else. This had to of been the night in question and she is sure someone had to of raped her.

Whoever he may be he begins taunting her with anonymous letters, presents, flowers, and text messages. Why would he rape her and then start stalking her?

This book started off well enough and I was intrigued for about the first third of this book. Then it just kind of went off the rails for me. It suffered from severe repetition with each chapter mimicking the last.

Another problem I had was with Abby hunting down every man that went to the New Years Eve party and accusing them of rape. While I feel for her and her predicament I just think that this entire situation could have and would have been handled differently in the "real world". First of all, I wouldn't of hidden my pregnancy from my very close sister by waiting nearly five months to tell her. What? Why? I realize she had lost a baby a couple years prior but if you honestly think you were DRUGGED AND RAPED then I don't think I'd be too worried about hurting my sisters feeling. I just didn't buy how things played out here at all.

I'll admit that through the entire book I had my suspicions of who it was and I was so certain I was right. I was so wrong. The thing is, the culprit, well, that fell a little flat for me too.

While I didn't love this one I also didn't hate this one and I did manage to finish this in a day without wanting to DNF so 3 stars it is!

Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Luvtoread (Trying to catch up) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Abby discovers she is pregnant and is shocked by the news since she hasn't been intimate with anyone since her relationship broke up a year ago. First she believes the tests are wrong then she remembers a party on New Year's Eve but she can't remember many details from that night. Could Abby have been so inebriated that she had blacked out or could someone drugged her drink that night. Abby doesn't want a child and especially not by a person that would take advantage of her. Soon after, she begins receiving flowers and baby gifts, always hand delivered and never signed and also she feels someone following her and she begins to get frightened and a little paranoid thinking every man might be her stalker and "rapist". How will Abby find her way out of this mess? What will become of the innocent baby that Abby never wanted in the first place. The story will reach a shocking climax and you will have to read the book if you want to know what happens in Abby's harrowing journey for answers.

I couldn't read this book fast enough. Abby was a free spirit yet a good girl who believed in love but she never expected to find herself in this predicament and struggled to make the right decisions about the complicated situation she was in. I enjoyed the book for the most part although the story took some crazy and unrealistic twists that I couldn't foresee and then an ugly shocking turn happened towards the ending that I thought wasn't necessary and it changed the whole tone of the story. Needless to say I had mixed feelings about this book. It was a real page turner for me and the tone was breezy and light and I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next but then towards the ending, the story took a dark and depressing turn that was unexpected and (imo) unnecessary. I would definitely recommend this book to other readers and I would like to read more books by Karen Cole in the future.

I want to thank the publisher "Quercus" US and Netgalley for granting the opportunity to read this book and ant thoughts and opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I have given this story a rating of 3 Complicated ⭐⭐⭐ Stars!!

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Firstly a great title for this nifty WHODUNIT!
Abby is pregnant,quite a surprise as Abby hasn’t had sex.....or has she, against her will??
The story then stays present time and she and her bff Danny try and work out how, when, why and where!, this leads them back to New Years Eve and a party she went to....there are about 4 men it could be....then she starts receiving texts, and flowers, she is being watched, but by who!
It ends up with Abby suspecting everyone and anyone she has contact with and as a reader it was easy to dismiss some but not so with others, the writing cleverly led you to believe it was a certain guy.....
Add to this a mix of a sister who has lost her own baby and an uncaring father and you have an easy to read and be involved in book
My only criticism is Abby who is a teacher sometimes sounded in her speech as young as the kids she taught and a few times I had to remind myself this was a grown woman
The ending is not what I expected, both segments are quite shocking and dark to be honest
On the whole an appealing book that ‘delivered’!!!!
8/10 4 Stars

[Adele Shea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my word, what a book!!
Abby goes to her doctor and finds out she is pregnant. The last time she had sex was over a year ago so how can that be. The only thing she can think of is that she drank so much alcohol on New Years Eve and someone took advantage of her.
The only way Abby can find out what happened is to retrace her footsteps, speak to people who were at the same party and try and put all the pieces together.
This book had me fooled from the get go. I thought I knew what happened to Abby but Karen Cole proved me wrong.
READ! READ! READ!

[Bex (Beckie Bookworm) · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this is one of those stories that actually sounds much better than it actually was.
There was nothing really wrong with this, it was well written and all but I felt that everything seemed to take forever and a day to accomplish here and events began to get a bit stale and then same all, same all.
The beginning and end of this were quite good it was the middle here that managed to lose me somewhat.
This still had a lot going for it and I was still invested in the characters and their eventual fates.
So the introduction was explosive and I really did like it.
It set the scene for things to come and because of it, I was questioning everyone's motives and hidden agendas.
As this story unfolded this is where things started to take a nosedive for me I felt Abby was going around in circles and I just couldn't believe that nobody was taking the poor girl seriously.
Not her sister or her best mate Danny, this shocked me slightly and also made me very sad that she had no one exclusively fighting her corner.
I also felt that Abby had no deeper connection to Alex at all beyond the superficial, despite what she claimed I just wasn't feeling any warm and fuzzies from her at all.
I felt that this side-plot was there just to add some flavour to proceedings but in my opinion, this really was not needed.
Abby herself came across as a slightly selfish neurotic individual and this was told completely from her POV.
I didn't really like her as a character and maybe if I had taken more to her I might have liked this book better.
I also felt that none of the relationships portrayed here seemed that deep and they lacked meaning.
The connections and friendships all seemed flimsy and somewhat superficial so as a result I never really formed a deeper attachment to anyone.
The finale itself here I thought was really good and also the epilogue was also very much to my liking.
On conclusion despite some ups and downs here I did enjoy this it just didn't entrall me or blow me away.
It did have a great original premise and as I said was well written.
I voluntary reviewed a copy of "Deliver Me"
All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.



Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review can be found on my blog here: https://booksonthebookshelf.wordpress...

Thank you to the publisher Quercus Books and Netgalley for the free eARC copy of this book to read and review.

This cover completely drew me in and the caption on the cover – wow! This book was a gripping thriller from beginning to end. A young girl attends a NYE party, and a couple months later finds out she is pregnant but has no memory of how that could be possible? Not very much of a memory from the NYE party night in question? A recipe for a great psychological thriller for sure!

While reading this book I couldn’t help but feel so bad for Abby. She has been through a lot in her young lifetime and appears to be a lovely young woman, and then to find out she was pregnant and has no idea who the father could be or the night it could have happened? For sure a big nightmare! She is desperate to find out what happened that night as her memory is spotty at best, and is desperate to fill in the blank holes of that night by asking several people who were also there that night what they can remember and tell her about that night in question.

Piece by piece she gets little glimpses and answers of the night in question and is able to put all the pieces of the puzzle together to get a little understanding of what really happened that night. She still has a lot of questions that remain unanswered though and is desperate to find out the complete truth.

Strange things start to happen though and she becomes suspicious of many different people. She receives flowers and other gifts from an unknown person, and she gets spooked out. Who would be sending her these things? Is the father of her baby doing this? And who exactly is he? Why can’t Abby remember?

Terrified to leave her house, as she has no idea if she is being followed and watched at all times. She is not sure who she can trust. Can she trust her sister and her brother in law both whom she lives with? Can she even trust Danny, her best friend?

Overall I really enjoyed this book and the suspense and thriller aspect of the book. If you haven’t read this book yet be sure to add it to your TBR list. Hope you enjoy this book!

[Denise]

When Abigail Brooke (Abby or Abs) visits the local doctor and discovers that she is two months pregnant she can't believe it because she claims she has not had sex for over a year. Ever since breaking up with her boyfriend Ben and moving in with her older sister Ellie and brother-in-law Rob she's been concentrating on her job while licking her wounds. When she counts backwards from her EDC, she guesses that something happened on New Years Eve. Abby was at a party and got super drunk and can't remember much about the evening and she sure doesn't remember having sex with anyone. Could she have been drugged and raped? So starts this psychological drama and mystery -- Abby is determined to find out what happened that night and WHO is the father of her unborn baby.
Although there are some twists along the way, most readers will be guessing madly as each "suspect" is accosted and questioned about that evening. NO SPOILERS but I don't think the identity of the baby daddy will be too much of a surprise though the red herrings are dangled throughout.

This was an OK read but I got rather annoyed with Abby and can't say that I was very empathetic or that I identified with her. The other characters are stereotypical and one-dimensional for the most part. The narrative had a lot of internal angsting going on with Abby dithering about and going off half-cocked most of the time. The conclusion was not unexpected and I wasn't really happy with how it all ended after all. I've not read other books by this author and I could be persuaded to give her another go.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Publishing for this e-book ARC to read and review.

[Linda Strong · Rating 4 out of 5]

No.. No..No.. it can't be! When Abby's doctor tells her she's two months pregnant, first there's shock, then disbelief. She hasn't been with anyone in more than a year .. so how is this possible?

Desperately seeking an explanation, Abby remembers the New Year's party she attended ... about 2 months ago. She remembers being at the party, she remembers waking up with the father of all hangovers.. and not much else. This baby must have been conceived that night ... but who was she with?

She enlists the help of her friend, Danny, who hosted the New Year's Ever party. She feels that she must have been drugged and assaulted ... and she wants a list of all the men who attended that party.

While starting her personal investigation, she starts receiving anonymous text messages...and packages delivered to her home that she shares with her sister and brother-in-law. Someone knows her secret .. but who? She's only told one person .. her friend Danny, but he swears he knows nothing about any of it. And she's pretty certain that someone is following her.

This is well-written, the story line is intriguing. Characters are well drawn, warts and all. Can't say that I liked most of them, but they drew me into their stories. It was fascinating to see how Abby goes through and accuses first one man and then another of fathering her child. Yet she feels attracted to one of the men that she thinks may have taken advantage of her when she was passed out. There are some twists and turns that point first in one direction, then another. Th conclusion was a total surprise ...

Many thanks to the author / Querus Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

[SVETLANA · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was not very believable for me. I had the impression that the author was writing, writing, writing and at one moment decided that it was enough and that the book must end and started to look around and picked at random a bad guy and a victim that had to die.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

*thank you to Netgalley, Karen Cole and Quercus Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*


2 stars.

What started out as a pretty interesting story, slowly went downhill. I was intrigued at the beginning as to how this was all going to turn out. Abby is at her Doctors appointment where she finds it that she is pregnant. Dumbfounded as to how the happened as she hasn't been in a relationship for over a year, she works out that she had been raped at the New Year's Eve party her friend Dany had organised. She was really quite drunk so she has no memory of that night. With a list of suspects and trying to work out who got her pregnant.

It really bothered me that some characters did not class this case as rape. Cleary she was in no position to give consent. To me, that's rape. Drugged or drunk makes no difference. It wasn't consented.

Unfortunately it lacked suspense and by the time it was revealed who had gotten Abby pregnant, it wasn't a shock. It wasn't who I had my suspicions about but when I did read who it was, it kinda made sense because something I had noticed at the beginning of the story didn't add up so this answered that little nugget of confusion I had. I was kinda over it by that stage though and uninterested. The story spent a lot of time going nowhere in particular. It was basically going from suspect to suspect, the same thing over again.

I would give this author another try though. It wasn't a complete write off and I hope I enjoy her future books more than this one. There was potential.

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Abby Brooke seeks out the help of a doctor, she can’t believe the news when the doctor tells her she is pregnant. How is that possible when the last time she had sex was over a year ago? Counting backwards she realizes around the time she got pregnant Abby was at her best friend, Danny’s, New years Eve Party. A Party she barely even remembers. She does remember drinking tequila shots to get over her shyness, but after that she does not remember anything else. Abby asks Danny for his help needing to know who was at the party and who may have taken advantage of her when she was drunk. While searching for the man who did this to her, she starts receiving anonymous gifts and notes, someone knows she is pregnant and has been watching her every move. Someone who is desperate enough to do anything to ensure she has this baby.

I really thought the premise of this book was great. I love a good thriller I can sink my teeth into while trying to find out who the culprit is behind the story. While I enjoyed the main part of the story, I found the characters not easily likeable and some of the things they did pretty frustrating. Abby doesn’t exactly come out and say she was raped even though she does not remember anything about the night in question. Maybe she does not want to believe it at first? I don’t know, but I found it to be out of character for any woman who did not consent to sex to behave this way. Abby started to do her own detective work and was borderline harassing different men who were at this New Years Eve party which made her come across as a bit nutty. Of course, I did feel bad with what she was going through, but I did not like the steps she was taking to find out the truth. For this reason, I felt that I was never really able to warm up to Abby.

The pacing of the story was really good and I was kept guessing until the end as to who is behind Abby’s pregnancy. I had my own ideas for pretty much the entire story and to be honest I was kind of shocked that I was wrong. What I thought was predictable wound up being so much deeper than I thought. The best part of this story for me was the mystery and there were definitely a lot of red herrings thrown in to keep you on your toes.

Deliver Me is a good mystery that will leave you guessing until the very end. It is an easy read that you can breeze through in just a few hours. While the story did have its issues, it was still an okay read for me.

[Evgnossia O'Hara]

DNF at page 150

[Dana-Adriana B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was quite intense. Abigail finds out that she is pregnant even though she don't remember anything. So, the hunt for the truth begins and she is suspecting everybody from the New Years Eve party.
Thanks to Netgalley for this copy.

[Joanne Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whilst I read a couple of books with a similar “amnesia” storyline last year, I have to say that this book really did blow those others out of the water! The premise here that forms the basis of the storyline really was one that shocked the hell out of me! What would you do if you went to the doctors because you were feeling ill and he diagnosed your pregnancy? Well that would be great news…unless you hadn’t had sex for more than a year!! And that’s what happens when Abby takes a positive pregnancy test and realises that she’s must have been drugged then raped at her friend Danny’s New Years Eve party. And as she retraces her steps from that night, she realises that she’s not the only one seeking answers and that someone is out there…watching her.

Deliver Me is such an incredibly exciting but terrifying debut novel from Karen Cole. I was completely gripped from the first page as the tension was slowly built upon so that I was in a permanent state of anxiety throughout. The plot itself made me feel very uncomfortable at times, the fact that Abby had an unwanted and unremembered sexual encounter that resulted in her conceiving, was often difficult to read about. But Karen Cole handled it perfectly without too much lasciviousness so that although we know what must have occurred, we don’t get a detailed account of what happened. Saying that, there are a few disturbing paragraphs to read but I think by that time, we are desperate to know who, what, where and why so it’s an important part of the plot development.

This is a clever “cat and mouse” game that kept my attention throughout. The characters are well crafted and I felt a connection with Abby. She didn’t always make decisions that I agreed with but where would the fun be if she did?! The pace didn’t let up even in the middle so I became very quickly engrossed and read this in one session (thankfully hubby was off over Christmas so I didn’t even have to leave the sofa for a cuppa and a chocolate biscuit!). I was also completely wrong in my predictions about what had really happened when Abby conceived her baby and I loved that Karen Cole was able to pull the wool over my eyes, especially in her debut. I was so impressed that the minute I finished Deliver Me I went straight to Amazon and preordered her second novel Deceive Me which is out in July this year.

Highly recommended by me!

[Pat Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing debut novel! I was completely hooked from the first chapter. After splitting up from her boyfriend Abby moves back home and moves in with her sister and brother in law. After feeling unwell Abby visits the Drs who stuns her with the news that she is pregnant. She then realises that this must have happened at a New Year’s Eve party held at her friend Danny’s house. But she has no recollection of sleeping with anyone. She enrols Danny’s help to find out what really did happen that night. Was she drugged and raped? Danny draws up a list of potential fathers from the party. As they start going through this list Abby starts receiving flowers and messages from someone who must be the father as he knows a lot of intimate things about her.
This is a very clever plot. I was positive that I had guessed the father’s identity but no, after so many twists and turns, I was left completely shocked. This is a brilliant psychologicalthriller that you must read, highly recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley and Quercus books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

[Leona · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent psychological suspense thriller which kept me gripped right from the start . I love a book where I’m kept guessing who the perpetrator is right up until the last few chapters, and this was exactly what happened with this book. Highly recommend.

[Quirkybookwormkat]

This is about a young woman who finds out accidentally that she's pregnant when she hasn't been sexually active for a long time. She believed that she's been raped and she can't rememer. She sets out to find out who's been with her at the party. This journey takes a toll on her as she tries to find out the father's identity of her unborn baby. She is also getting freaked out because the father of her unborn baby is her stalker who's been leaving notes and presents for her. It's been a roller coaster ride for her.
I wasn't happy how the ending played out with hardly any emotion in it. For that reason, I'm going to give it a high 3 stars.

I received this ARC from Quercus Books through Net Galley in exchange for the next three years, but it doesn't seem for my honest and unbiased review. Thank you!

[Kerryn (RatherBeReading) · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Disclaimer: e-ARC received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

I went into this book not sure what to expect. I thought the premise could be really interesting, but I also thought it could potentially be really mishandled, however, I think the author did a pretty good job with some really tricky subject matter.

I found it extremely frustrating how all, except one, of the characters refused to believe that the main character had been raped. Even if the main character has not been slipped a date-rape drug, she was clearly at such a level of inebriation, that she was incapable of giving conscious consent. While I found this incredibly frustrating, sadly, I think it is probably terribly realistic.

I enjoyed all the aspects of the story of the main character struggling with, not only her own feelings on her pregnancy, but also those of her sister. When you have a friend or family member who has struggled with infertility or miscarriage or infant death it can be extremely difficult for them to deal with someone else having a healthy pregnancy. I thought the commentary on that part of the story was really well done.

I did find the main character, at times, incredibly aggravating. At times she can become incredibly accusatory, without any real evidence, and at other times she made terrible decisions. While some of her decisions can be explained by her heightened emotions due to her pregnancy and volatile situations, sometimes it went beyond what I could accept.

I had a theory throughout most of the story as to who I thought the father of the baby was. A couple of times the author made me question myself which I liked but for the most part I was pretty convinced. The ending of this book had me completely shocked - which I loved! I so rarely get surprised by the end of thrillers so I was pleasantly surprised with the ending of this book.

Overall a very solid thriller with an incredibly creepy premise.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Rape and infant death

[Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

With thanks to Netgalley and Quercus for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

Art teacher Abigail Brooke was shocked when her doctor told her she was two months pregnant. Abigail thought it was a mistake because she had not had sex since breaking up with her ex boyfriend Ben a year earlier After doing a pregnancy test Abigail realised she must of got pregnant at her friend Danny`s New years eve party.

Abigail had no recollection of what happened and became convinced her drink must of been spiked with a date rape drug. With the help of Danny, Abigail began to question the men she spent time with at the party. Unfortunately someone knew she was trying to track down her attacker and started to receive threatening notes and gifts to her home

Abigail`s older sister Ellie a GP had lost her own baby in childbirth and was overjoyed she was pregnant. However Abigail planned to have her baby adopted and had already chosen the couple who would adopt the child. Ellie and her husband Rob wanted to adopt the baby but Abigail was reluctant to do that because she would always be reminder of the attack.

I drawn into this book from the shocking prologue and had to find out Abigail had got into this situation. I liked Abigail but I thought she was fool hardy trying to find her attacker on her own. I liked her best friend Danny and his nerdy flat mate Mark who I thought was secretly in love with her. Although Ellie did didn't want Abigail to adopt the baby I understood why she felt like that when she lost her own baby.

This was brilliant book with plenty of red herrings to keep you on your toes. The ending completely shocked me it was not what I was expecting.

Deliver Me was Karen Cole`s debut thriller, I look forward to her next book

[Lauren-Tess Anderson-Watkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. What a spine chilling cracker of a novel!

Deliver me is a highly disturbing read that will see you jumping at your and your cat’s shadows. Well that’s what it did to me. I don’t think I’ve become so jumpy at a book before.

This book had plenty of twists and turns, and plenty of stories about what actually happened on New Years Eve.
Towards the end of the book, when the final big twist came, I had to read it twice just to make sure I had read it right, I had, but it was so unexpected.

Cole has a way of creating her characters so that you, in your mind, accuse the same characters as Abby. Can she find out what happened to her on New Years Eve? Just who is stalking & sending her gifts? More importantly, can she find out who is the father to her baby?

Deliver me is a book I’d definitely recommend to those who love thrillers that mess with your head, leave you gasping and on edge.

[Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I read the blurb for Deliver Me, I was desperate to read it, it sounded just my type of read, and I was so not disappointed.

Abby attends a New Years Eve party, two months later she learns that she pregnant she can't recall anything that had happened at the party or having had any sexual encounters, so how has this happened? Deliver Me was full of twist and turns and had me quessing a few times, I was completely captivated during this book and absolutely loved every minute of it. Highly recommended read.

[Jennifer Nolan · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I liked this book, I don't think I would recommend it.

[Lyndsey thelittlereadingmermaid · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book was SUCH a roller coaster! 😱
it kept me guessing until the very end and I had originally 2 suspicions on who Abby’s baby daddy was, but was COMPLETELY wrong in the end. It all made sense and flowed together quite nicely, it drew me in from the very beginning and kept my attention until the very end, which is more than I can say for a lot of books!

[Julie Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brilliant twisty turny tale that I wished I had read and not listened to.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a first book by Karen Cole and I found it very good. It's a psychological thriller which I like with a twist at the end. I thought I had worked out the "baddie " quite early in the book but I couldn't have been more wrong. A very interesting book.

[Nicki Southwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This debut from Karen Cole is a great book. It gets off at a cracking pace, as Abby visits her GP. The symptoms she presents with maybe obvious consequences. She is pregnant. The shock is that she has not had sex for over a year, so how did that happen?

Abby is an art teacher at a local school and lives with her sister Ellie and brother-in-law Robert. Robert helped to secure her the job when she was keen to leave London and a broken relationship. Her best friend Danny is the first person she tells and after pondering about the situation, she realises that she must have become pregnant at his New Year Eve's party. Her problem is that she cannot remember much about the evening due to the amount she had to drink.

He is the only person she tells for the first few months, so strange messages and flowers appearing at school and home, allude to this, but how? She decides to have a termination which she organises via a clinic rather than her GP but backs out at the last minute. She then decides that adoption is the best course to take.

Ellie, sister and also a GP lost their baby and they still have not entirely recovered from it. This is why Anny is reluctant to tell her the news. Eventually, she has to.

With Danny's help, Abby goes through all the guests at the party, who she was seen talking to, who gave her a lift home and immediately suspects first one man, then another. Some=one must have drugged her is the decision she comes to. Her stalker is still out there and boasts that he is the father. The police are not able to offer much help.

The characters in this book are delightful and the author is able to describe them well. Set in the Cotswolds it sounds a lovely quiet country town.

I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are all my own and completely unbiased. My thanks to NetGalley for this opportunity.

[Angela Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I give it 5* for keeping me guessing who did it, right to the end. There were more red herrings than a fishmongers and I mean that positively. This is the author's debut novel which I enjoyed and will definitely be happy to read her future works.

Abby is a young art teacher at a local high school. She has a mix of friends in and out of work. She lives with her older sister and her husband. She's been feeling a bit under the weather lately and her doctor tells her she's pregnant. It seems impossible especially as she hasn't had sex in over a year. There is a a hazy memory of drinking too much at a new years eve party and she's missing time on that night. As she tries to find out what happened the more she starts to think she was raped. It doesn't help that she seems to have a deluded stalker who thinks she belongs to him.

This is a nailbiting book that makes you think what would you do if faced with a situation like that. Makes you glad it's only a story! (Not that certain things couldn't actually happen) Tense and twisty page turning debut.

[Lilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I read the description I couldn't help but request it, and it even exceeded my expectations.
A word of warning once you start reading this novel you will not be able to put it down.

The plot is pacey with likable characters.
There are lots of twists and turns and I was happy that I couldn't figure who the culprit is, his revelation was quite shocking.

I would highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys a thrilling and thought proving psychological novel.

Thanks for Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this novel, and I am looking forward for the author's future books.

[Sandy Conley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read Ms Cole had me hooked on her story in the first two paragraphs. The book held my interest from the start I had to finish quickly so I could move on. It is a great mystery with an ending I never thought of. The book was written in the Queens English so if your not familiar with the various words that replace our English words keep Google handy.

I gave the book 4 stars as it never lost my interest. If you like stories that keep you reading because the bad guy is not obvious this is a book for you. Since I have finished the book there is one scene that may be the clue needed it passed me by until I knew the villain.