The Betrayal

by Cole Baxter

She thought she could escape the past. But now it’s found her…

Erin is determined to begin a new chapter in her life. Having freed herself from her violent and abusive ex, she’s starting over on a remote island where she can lead a peaceful, quiet life.

But then she meets Dominic. He is pushy and won’t take no for an answer. Given her history, Erin feels nervous of him – how far will he go to get what he wants? Even worse, Erin discovers her ex-husband has been released from prison. Will he come after her again?

And her terror only increases when it becomes clear there is a killer loose on the island.

Refusing to live in fear any longer, she devises a dangerous plan to unmask the killer. But in so doing she stumbles across the deadly secret at the heart of this island community, a discovery more terrifying than anything she could ever have imagined…

The Betrayal – the gripping psychological thriller perfect for fans of Freida McFadden, Daniel Hurst, K L Slater

Genres: Psychological Thriller, Thriller

407 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 26, 2022

About the author

Cole Baxter loves writing psychological suspense thrillers. It's all about that last reveal that he loves shocking readers with.
He grew up in New York, where there crime was all around. He decided to turn that into something positive with his fiction.
His stories will have you reading through the night--they are very addictive!

Sign up for Cole's VIP Reader Club and find out about his latest releases, giveaways, and more. Copy and paste this link to sign up: http://eepurl.com/dqL8yT

Reviews

[theliterateleprechaun · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up

Mastering fear starts with a decision and Erin Caldwell has just made a scary choice. She’s about to find out that her courage will be tested.

Erin Caldwell relocates to Misty Cliffs, King James Island, after divorcing her husband when he is incarcerated for trying to kill her. The small island is “perfect for a fresh start,” and Erin is determined to fit it and make the most of it. Erin fled Pittsburg with her dog, Fenix, and a dream of opening a dog grooming shop on the main street.

Just as she’s settling in, she meets an obnoxious guy, Dominic Martin, who always seems to be pushing his way into her life making her uneasy and then she discovers that her ex-husband, Mark Knox, is to be released from prison. When she thinks it can’t get any worse, she finds out that there’s a killer loose on the island. It gets worse. Can she outrun her past or has it followed her?

This is a chilling, twisty thriller that explores the dark side of love and obsession. Baxter is known for shocking readers with his final reveal and he doesn’t disappoint here.

This one will appeal to dog lovers.

You’ll have to read to find out who was betrayed and by whom!

I was gifted this advance copy by Cole Baxter, Inkubator Books and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

[Andrea Pole · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Betrayal by Cole Baxter offered an interesting premise but, for me, it fell just a little bit short of the mark.

Erin is looking for a fresh start after escaping an abusive ex. Setting up her own business in an island community Erin soon meets the locals, including Dominic, who immediately starts making advances toward her and will not take no for an answer. When it transpires that there is a killer loose on the island, Erin's fear is compounded by the fact that her ex has recently been released from prison. Suddenly, her fresh start is more terrifying than anything she has left behind.

This was a quick read, though I found that I was not fully engaged nor invested in the narrative. 3.5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for an ARC.

[Julie (JuJu) · Rating 3 out of 5]

📖BOOK TOUR REVIEW📖
🌟🌟🌟.5

Thank you to Zooloos Book Tours, Cole Baxter, and Inkubator Books for a complimentary copy of this psychological thriller.

Erin grabbed my attention and drew me into this story with her profession. Her dog grooming stories and her interaction with animals is fascinating. The story started strong but then lost its oomph, for me anyway.

The author’s writing is wonderful and the book is full of interesting stories. I did have a hard time keeping track of all the catty women. I was reminded of a reality show. Most of the characters are annoyingly irritating so that made the book slower than I like.

All opinions are my own.

#thebetrayal #colebaxter #Inkubatorbooks #booktour #booktourhost #lovebooks #thrillerfiction #bookreviewersofinstagram #lovetoreadbooks #cantstopreading #usbookreviewer #honestreview #ad #ireadbooks #ireviewbooks #ilovereading #bookstagrammer #bookreviewer #inexchangeforreview #thrilleraddict #bookaddict #crimeandcocktailsbookcrew
#mysteryandthrills

[Donna Mallery · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the first 40% or so, I felt like I was reading a women’s drama novel. A bunch of women are just gossiping, mainly about a man who constantly hits on them. As one reviewer said, the mention of the word, man-whore, was constantly used. It was so silly, I almost DNF. Once there was a murder, I decided to carry on. It really didn’t get much better. Almost a YA novel. The writing was very simplistic. The killer wasn’t much of a surprise. And there was no suspense.

[BookJunkie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It didn’t take long for this book to have me hooked. ‘You are free. You are safe. They can’t hurt you now’ was the line that gripped me, and that was all before the end of the first page.

The story follows Erin as she tries to rebuild her life in a new state after a nasty divorce with her abusive husband. While trying to fit into her new community and find her place within the new town her time is filled with opening her new business and making new friends when her life suddenly takes a drastic turn after being embroiled in drama between two of her friends. Now Erin is dealing with communications with her ex while a killer is in town and two of her friends are dead shortly before she finds herself in trouble.

Needless to say this ‘The Betrayal’ kept me glued to the screen on my kindle and I could not put this book down.

Aside from the incredibly fast paced storyline the characters in this book were equally well written. They were all life-like and 100% relatable.

Erin, the main character was by far my favourite. As a huge animal lover and a dog groomer/rescue worker myself there was no way she was going to be anything but. However I equally loved all of her friends who welcomed her into a new town with open arms.

Dominic – the man-whore reminded me so much of Hardin from the after series that even though he was painted in a bad light, im not going to lie I had a little bit of a crush on him.

BUT his sister, Stella was definitely the most well written character. Evil to the core while running amongst the crowd unnoticed.

An absolutely fantastic read, and I would definitely recommend this book.

[pawsreadrepeat · Rating 5 out of 5]

In The Betrayal, we find the main character, Erin determined to reinvent herself. Having escaped the abuse of her ex-husband, Mark, she divorces him. Mark is in prison for the attempted murder of Erin. Despite Mark being in prison, Erin worries he will come back to finish what he started when he gets out. Deciding she needs a fresh start, Erin relocates to Misty Cliffs, King James Island with her dog, Fenix. She dreams of opening a grooming parlor on Main Street. What could possibly go wrong? A lot, it turns out.


I love how well written the plot of this book is. There are a lot of moving pieces, yet the author does a good job of keeping the reader guessing from start to finish. The book is a slow burn, which I think is needed to truly develop the nuanced elements required to show the dark side of an intimate relationship bordering on obsession.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you, Inkubator books, Netgalley, and Zooloo's Book Tours. I'm excited to be a part of this tour.

[Billie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a gripping and thrilling read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

[Allison Chadwick · Rating 3 out of 5]

The phrase "other woman" was used way too much. I thought the plot was predictable but was surprised to learn that I didn't know the twist.

[Nickie Sale · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was quite slow to get going. Erin has moved to Island far from her ex abusive husband and is slowly recovering, however she fears, despite her ex being in prison after he came this close to killing her, that he will return and finish what he started.

However life is not that simple. Erin starts to make some friends and also attracts the attention of the islands "playboy", Dominic, who is determined to add her to his list of conquests. Erins assistant Alicia is found murdered, this is followed by another women Cordelia. Alicia and Cordelia had both been "seeing" Dominic and had very public arguments over him.

Erin cannot let Alicias and Cordelia's murders go unnoticed and along with other women decides to investigate. Add to the mix that Erin's ex husband is released from prison and sending her letters and gifts, and you wonder why Erin would even consider putting herself at risk. For me this was where it really fell apart somewhat. The local Sheriff and Mayor more interested in hiding the murders, and the local newspapers gagged?? As for the killer, I had that one from fairly early on, but not quite in the way I had expected.

[Esther Bultitude · Rating 3 out of 5]

After her abusive husband was jailed for almost killing her, Erin Caldwell is making a fresh start as far away from him as possible.

With a new business, new friends and a persistent admirer what could possibly go wrong?

When the ladies of her ‘Martha’s fishing group’ start to be killed one by one, and get ex is released from jail, is there more going on?

From the start I didn’t really like Erin; for someone who was almost murdered by her husband she sure doesn’t act like it.

Alicia is sweet and I wish her character had been a bit more developed.

Although Dominic is not supposed to be liked, I liked his gall and perseverance- he sure never gives up!

I thought that some of the descriptions of the business in the first few chapters were a bit convoluted; although the author was setting the scene I don’t really care so much about dog grooming parlours to read about it!

I wasn’t sure where this was going - a cosy murder book with a women’s group at the heart - but it was an easy read and I didn’t guess the ending!

[Carrie Shields · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was my first read from this author, and I was disappointed in many ways. The synopsis of the book led me to believe the plot was about a woman running from an abusive ex, and while that was a small part of the plot, it centered more around the day-to-day running of a pet grooming shop and other tedious details in the main character's life.

It's a common trope in cozy mysteries to have a MC investigating a crime, but this wasn't a cozy. It made no sense for the MC Erin to be caught up in the almost comical situation she found herself in. I think my biggest issue with this book was it was very heavy on passively telling when there should have been more dialogue.

Sadly, this one was a miss for me, but I may check out another from this author to see if it was just this title that didn't work for me. THE BETRAYAL will publish June 26, 2022, from Inkubator Books. I thank them and NetGalley for this early read.

[Patricia Baxes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ohmigod…Cole Baxter knows how to scare the living daylights out of a reader!! Don’t know how he does it, but every book he writes just gets better and better. Where does this stuff come from? I don’t know, but I’ll keep reading as long as he keeps writing!

The Betrayal has an incredible storyline; amazing characters who you never know who’s sane or psychotic; plot twists and turns that keep you totally off balance from beginning to end; and per usual…is there a HEA or isn’t there? Cole Baxter has totally blown my mind again while scaring the devil out of me!

You absolutely must read this book!! (I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book and was totally enthralled by it!)♥️♥️

[Bev · Rating 5 out of 5]

Erin and her faithful companion, Fenix are on a journey to their new home -- Minty Cliffs. A fresh start leaving the past hopefully behind for good. Erin Caldwell is opening up a grooming shop for dogs and coats. Alicia is her only employee now and lives in the apartment above the shop. This story has been like 'reading' an episode of Real Housewives from anywhere. Not exactly what I expected, but rather amusing. But when the local police and town mayor try to sweep not one but two murders under the rug, Martha's Fishing Group take matters in their own hands. By the way, you will love Martha's Fishing Group! I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

[Alice Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was slow to me at first but then it picked up as I kept reading.
I did guess the twist early on but I really enjoyed the book and I loved how the ending turned out.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

[Heather Flaherty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to #NetGalley and #InkubatorBooks for the ARC #TheBetrayal by #ColeBaxter. This thriller is about murder, jealousy and starting over after an abusive divorce.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This takes place in Misty Cliffs where the heroin Erin, escaped her abusive husband got sentenced to prison after almost killing her , owning a pet grooming shop to help with familiarizing herself with the locals plus she had a love for pets. Then finding a wonderful assistant, Alicia, who got strangled to death and left at the beach. Erin's world gets turned upside down when her ex-husband, Mark, threatens that he will be by to viist her even though he just got out of prison and is on house arrest. There is a lady who owns a beauty shop next door to Erin's business, Cordelia, she stormed into Erin's on a couple occasions to accuse Erin's assistant, Alicia of sleeping with Dominic, the island's Casanova who sleeps with all females on the island. Could Cordelia, the beauty shop owner, be the one who killed Alicia or is it someone else? I really enjoyed how the author kept you guessing who done it. There was a small chance that I thought maybe Erin’s past could be attempting to sabotage what happiness she had. But when Cordelia ends up dead, then who has actually done these crimes of passion? I highly recommend this book because it will keep you guessing the whole way through. I cannot wait to read more of Cole Baxter’s books as this was very engaging.

[J_McA 251 · Rating 3 out of 5]

To me, this book was more solid thriller – I didn’t get much “psych” from the psych thriller. Erin is on the run, and the hints are readily available as to why. There are long, tedious descriptions of her life as a pet groomer that drag down what little action there is in the beginning. I also couldn’t understand Erin’s motivation a lot of the time – she went from being scared, to being strong, to making some really poor decisions. It all seemed uneven. However, the thriller part of all of it is strong and saves the plot. Additionally, the twist is unusual because the author goes somewhere most others wouldn’t. I appreciate the boldness. If you approach this more as a domestic thriller than a psych thriller, you’ll enjoy it more. For more details, please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks. This review was written based on a digital copy of the book from Inkubator Books.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy Cole Baxter's writing because it is fast paced and makes you feel empathy for characters you might not initially feel it for. I really liked how he brought some personal trauma into the characters at the end to make them more complex and relatable to the readers. I did eventually figure out who was behind the murders RIGHT before it was revealed to us but enjoyed trying to figure it out throughout the book. I really enjoyed the community aspect to this and thought Erin was a really great character, albeit a bit naive. Dominic was a complex character but really interesting to try and figure out. Overall, I think the characters really made this one. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Priyanka (ReadwithBanner ) · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thoughts: A psychological thriller with a domestic abuse angle. Single PoV of Erin (surrounding her struggles to lead a peaceful life).She gets entangled in a double murder one of her colleague and another person on the island. She is a part of women's club, they all decides to take matter in there hand since the Police is not doing her job. While her life is turning upside in the Island she gets to know that her ex husband is released from prison and sent her the same dress she was wearing when she had a near death experience. There are multiple tones and up side down in this book but with smooth transitions, I felt I was a part of Erin's life.

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

All Erin wants is a peaceful life. She’s escaping her ex husband and his family. Her ex tried to kill her and he and his family make her life miserable.

I loved this book. It was the perfect combination of thriller and heartwarming. Erin loves animals and has a big heart for them. She starts her own pet grooming business and is so kind to the animals, especially the rescue dogs.

The thriller part id the book is Erin’s past. Women also are murdered on the small island and Erin and her fiends want to catch the killer before more people are hurt.

This is a book that will keep you hooked. Prepare to be dazzled!

[Tahnia Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Erin was almost choked to death by her severely abusive husband. After filing for divorce and the trauma of the attempted murder court case, Erin's husband is now in prison, so she packs up and moves across the country to an island off the coast of Washington where Erin loves her life with her emotional support dog, Fenix. When a woman is found choked to death on the beach and another goes missing, Erin and a group of women known as Martha's Fishing Club decide to sleuth on their own. Very highly recommended.

I received a copy of this book in a box set via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

things are not goong well for you when an apparent stalker is not the worst part of your day.

Erin and her dog Fenix relocated after her husband is imprisoned for trying to kill her.

His release and a killer on the island put her life and her fresh start in jeopardy.

it seems the one thing Erin can really count on besides her dog is betrayals

intense psychological thriller and drama.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Erin decides to start a new life after leaving an abusive ex she heads to an island where things take some dangerous and deadly turns. From the abusive ex and the crazy new guy to the killer on the island this is a suspenseful and intriguing story. As always Cole Baxter has given this reader a psychological thriller that had me reading nonstop until the last page. The writing is well done and I can't wait to read the next book by this author. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book.

[Lauren Flewett · Rating 3 out of 5]

She thought she could escape the past. But now it’s found her…

A psychological thriller with a great final twist.

It was a bit of a slow burner but did get going and I love Fenix the dog!

I do recommend a read if you like thrillers

[Sue Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE BETRAYAL
Erin is determined to begin a new chapter in her life. Having freed herself from her violent and abusive ex, she’s starting over on a remote island where she can lead a peaceful, quiet life.
A good read. Little slow. 4*.

[Carmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very thrilling read. Well written, the story line that had me hooked from the start.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

[DLB2572 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a decent story. I just had issues with staying interested and connected throughout.

I received an ARC and this is my unbiased opinion

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

She is trying to start a new chapter but will the pst creep in.

[Zoey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad

Only slightly repetitive seemed kind of drawn out and a bunch of unimportant filler. But good story just not as exciting as I thought it would be.

[BETTY BERRY · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Betrayal

This author never ceases to amaze me. Every book does have an ending you are trying to find out who disc what and why