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Trapped
Everyone has to live with their past, but no one should be haunted by it...
Ellie Walters is determined to get back on her feet after the break-up of her marriage. Now living on Cape Cod with her increasingly angry and troubled teenage son, Tim, she tentatively believes they can build a new life together. And when Ellie finds herself falling for her new neighbour's son, Joe, she feels she can at last move on.
Until, one day, elements connected to a tragic event in Ellie's past - an event she has never been able to come to terms with - start appearing. It seems that someone is determined to make her suffer, all over again. Whilst a misunderstanding drives a rift between her and Joe and her relationship with Tim threatens to deteriorate completely, a confused and frightened Ellie seems powerless to stop what seems increasingly like a terrifying campaign of persecution. And Ellie is faced with the horrifying possibility that she'll be trapped in this nightmare for ever...
Ellie Walters is determined to get back on her feet after the break-up of her marriage. Now living on Cape Cod with her increasingly angry and troubled teenage son, Tim, she tentatively believes they can build a new life together. And when Ellie finds herself falling for her new neighbour's son, Joe, she feels she can at last move on.
Until, one day, elements connected to a tragic event in Ellie's past - an event she has never been able to come to terms with - start appearing. It seems that someone is determined to make her suffer, all over again. Whilst a misunderstanding drives a rift between her and Joe and her relationship with Tim threatens to deteriorate completely, a confused and frightened Ellie seems powerless to stop what seems increasingly like a terrifying campaign of persecution. And Ellie is faced with the horrifying possibility that she'll be trapped in this nightmare for ever...
- GenresFiction
400 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
2 people are currently reading
116 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
October 22, 2010
Ellie Walters is determined to get back on her feet after the break-up of her marriage. Now living on Cape Cod with her increasingly angry and troubled teenage son, Tim, she tentatively believes they can build a new life together. And when Ellie finds herself falling for her new neighbour’s son, Joe, she feels she can at last move on. Until, one day, elements connected to a tragic event in Ellie’s past – an event she has never been able to come to terms with – start appearing. It seems that someone is determined to make her suffer, all over again. Whilst a misunderstanding drives a rift between her and Joe and her relationship with Tim threatens to deteriorate completely, a confused and frightened Ellie seems powerless to stop what seems increasingly like a terrifying campaign of persecution. And Ellie is faced with the horrifying possibility that she’ll be trapped in this nightmare for ever…
Trapped is the second psychological thriller from American author Brooke Morgan and as soon as I heard the synopsis, I knew I had to read it. I absolutely adore books with a bit of mystery to them and if the mysterious nature of the book is well done, it can be a corker of a book. I was thrilled to finally receive my copy of Trapped and started it almost immediately, not knowing what to expect because I haven’t yet read Morgan’s first novel Tainted (although I do have the book).
The book opens by introducing us to Ellie as she’s about to go on a blind date. It seemed a strange starting point to the novel, but it turns out it’s actually a hugely important part of the book and sets the scene for everything to come. We know by the end of the first chapter that something really terrible happened to Ellie at some point in her life, and that she has recently been divorced from her husband Charlie. Ellie then decides, along with son Tim, to move to Bourne, a town she used to visit as a child and remembers it with fond memories. Once Ellie moves to Bourne though, strange things begin happening, all which appear to be connected to the terrible incident that happened years back. We learn what that was early on in the book, but I don’t want to spoil it for those looking to read the book. As Ellie begins to fear for her safety – and her sanity – and starts to question those closest to her, including new friend Louisa and her son Joe, it really became a race against time to uncover who it was that was behind the nastiness currently infecting her life.
The suspense throughout Trapped was really quite something. As the book progresses, the suspense level rises and rises until it is, quite literally, palpable. The book just becomes more and more intense and I really didn’t want to put it down. I wanted to continue reading, and find out who it was doing these nasty things to Ellie. I haven’t been so glued to a book in a long while, I have to tell you. I was reading chapters during my lunch break at work, it is just so well written that I was on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading the book, wondering what would happen next in Ellie’s life.
I actually really liked Ellie. She is flawed, definitely, and admits to it, but there’s a vulnerability there that warmed me to her. Yes, something happened in the past, but Ellie more than paid for it, and to see it all come slamming back made me want to grab her and hide her away from it all. I thought her son Tim was an incredibly interesting character, too. He’s a typical fifteen-year-old, mad at the world, but when he wasn’t being an annoying teenager, when he was with Lauren, we got to know the real Tim. I didn’t really know what to make of Charlie, Ellie’s ex-husband, we know from Ellie he’s a bit of a control freak but is charming with it, so I never really clicked with him to be honest. Another character I loved though was Louisa, Ellie’s neighbour in Bourne. She was wonderful, and was the perfect tonic for Ellie. Louisa’s son, Joe, is the final character I’d like to mention and, again, I found him incredibly well written and I would definitely have liked to have seen him more.
As I mentioned above, the suspense builds throughout the book at quite a hefty pace and it barely lets up. When the suspense finally explodes, and we find out who was been behind everything that happened to Ellie since her move from Bourne, I was stunned. I had absolutely no clue about who it was, and when the penny finally dropped all I could think was ‘Wow’. I’ve no idea how Morgan pulled it off, but she did, and it all made perfect sense as soon as I read the explanations of everything. Those last few pages are really quite something, they’re hard to read don’t get me wrong, and I did find myself hoping and praying it would all come to an end, but it was completely engaging nevertheless. The book is told in the third-person point of view which works perfectly, switching from Ellie to Louisa to Tim and manages to build the story even more than if it was told entirely from Ellie’s point of view. There is an Epilogue in the book, which had me a bit puzzled but now I’ve had time to think it over, I think I know whose point of view it’s told from. Normally, an epilogue like that would irritate me, but on account of all the mysteriousness up until then, it kind of worked. Yes it bugs me, because I want to know for definite who it is, but it didn’t detract from the book until now. I didn’t feel disappointed reading it, I just felt even more intrigued. I hugely recommend the book, it was everything I wanted and more.
Trapped is the second psychological thriller from American author Brooke Morgan and as soon as I heard the synopsis, I knew I had to read it. I absolutely adore books with a bit of mystery to them and if the mysterious nature of the book is well done, it can be a corker of a book. I was thrilled to finally receive my copy of Trapped and started it almost immediately, not knowing what to expect because I haven’t yet read Morgan’s first novel Tainted (although I do have the book).
The book opens by introducing us to Ellie as she’s about to go on a blind date. It seemed a strange starting point to the novel, but it turns out it’s actually a hugely important part of the book and sets the scene for everything to come. We know by the end of the first chapter that something really terrible happened to Ellie at some point in her life, and that she has recently been divorced from her husband Charlie. Ellie then decides, along with son Tim, to move to Bourne, a town she used to visit as a child and remembers it with fond memories. Once Ellie moves to Bourne though, strange things begin happening, all which appear to be connected to the terrible incident that happened years back. We learn what that was early on in the book, but I don’t want to spoil it for those looking to read the book. As Ellie begins to fear for her safety – and her sanity – and starts to question those closest to her, including new friend Louisa and her son Joe, it really became a race against time to uncover who it was that was behind the nastiness currently infecting her life.
The suspense throughout Trapped was really quite something. As the book progresses, the suspense level rises and rises until it is, quite literally, palpable. The book just becomes more and more intense and I really didn’t want to put it down. I wanted to continue reading, and find out who it was doing these nasty things to Ellie. I haven’t been so glued to a book in a long while, I have to tell you. I was reading chapters during my lunch break at work, it is just so well written that I was on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading the book, wondering what would happen next in Ellie’s life.
I actually really liked Ellie. She is flawed, definitely, and admits to it, but there’s a vulnerability there that warmed me to her. Yes, something happened in the past, but Ellie more than paid for it, and to see it all come slamming back made me want to grab her and hide her away from it all. I thought her son Tim was an incredibly interesting character, too. He’s a typical fifteen-year-old, mad at the world, but when he wasn’t being an annoying teenager, when he was with Lauren, we got to know the real Tim. I didn’t really know what to make of Charlie, Ellie’s ex-husband, we know from Ellie he’s a bit of a control freak but is charming with it, so I never really clicked with him to be honest. Another character I loved though was Louisa, Ellie’s neighbour in Bourne. She was wonderful, and was the perfect tonic for Ellie. Louisa’s son, Joe, is the final character I’d like to mention and, again, I found him incredibly well written and I would definitely have liked to have seen him more.
As I mentioned above, the suspense builds throughout the book at quite a hefty pace and it barely lets up. When the suspense finally explodes, and we find out who was been behind everything that happened to Ellie since her move from Bourne, I was stunned. I had absolutely no clue about who it was, and when the penny finally dropped all I could think was ‘Wow’. I’ve no idea how Morgan pulled it off, but she did, and it all made perfect sense as soon as I read the explanations of everything. Those last few pages are really quite something, they’re hard to read don’t get me wrong, and I did find myself hoping and praying it would all come to an end, but it was completely engaging nevertheless. The book is told in the third-person point of view which works perfectly, switching from Ellie to Louisa to Tim and manages to build the story even more than if it was told entirely from Ellie’s point of view. There is an Epilogue in the book, which had me a bit puzzled but now I’ve had time to think it over, I think I know whose point of view it’s told from. Normally, an epilogue like that would irritate me, but on account of all the mysteriousness up until then, it kind of worked. Yes it bugs me, because I want to know for definite who it is, but it didn’t detract from the book until now. I didn’t feel disappointed reading it, I just felt even more intrigued. I hugely recommend the book, it was everything I wanted and more.
May 25, 2022
I really enjoyed this psychological thriller. Ellie Walter's husband Charlie commits adultery and moves out of the marital home to live with Sandra. Ellie decides to make a fresh start and moves to Cape Cod with her fifteen year old son Tim.
Ellie's friend pursuades Ellie to go on an internet date and she meets an Oncologist called Daniel but due to his work he moves quite a distance away from her so only communicates via the internet.
Ellie and Tim make their new home in a lovely cottage by the sea and makes friends with Louisa and her grown up son Joe. Joe works in America most of the time and only comes home at week-ends to stay with his Mother.
Poor Ellie due to a driving accident which happened when she was only seventeen whilst she was driving alongside her Mother resulted in her having to go into a mental facility until she recovered.
Ellie starts a relationship with Joe but he feels like he is betraying his late wife Pam who before she died told him that she would not like him to care about anyone else but her to be his only true love forever. He feels guilty and goes cool toward Ellie.
Someone from Ellie's past starts a chain of events which include a lot of mind games in order for Ellie to have a breakdown including raping her in the process. Ellie finally finds out who it is and has to protect her son Tim from knowing who it is.
Ellie's friend pursuades Ellie to go on an internet date and she meets an Oncologist called Daniel but due to his work he moves quite a distance away from her so only communicates via the internet.
Ellie and Tim make their new home in a lovely cottage by the sea and makes friends with Louisa and her grown up son Joe. Joe works in America most of the time and only comes home at week-ends to stay with his Mother.
Poor Ellie due to a driving accident which happened when she was only seventeen whilst she was driving alongside her Mother resulted in her having to go into a mental facility until she recovered.
Ellie starts a relationship with Joe but he feels like he is betraying his late wife Pam who before she died told him that she would not like him to care about anyone else but her to be his only true love forever. He feels guilty and goes cool toward Ellie.
Someone from Ellie's past starts a chain of events which include a lot of mind games in order for Ellie to have a breakdown including raping her in the process. Ellie finally finds out who it is and has to protect her son Tim from knowing who it is.
March 23, 2017
Het beste aan het boek vond ik de band die werd geschept tussen de personages en de lezer. Ik leefde mee met Ellie, Tim, Louisa en Joe. Het was alsof ik me even in Bourne bevond, het lijkt me er prachtig!
August 7, 2019
Goed boek.
January 12, 2020
Leuk boekje. Einde viel tegen, helaas.
March 28, 2012
It's a great book with a few suspense here and there. The story gets intense and thought-proviking towards the end. Books like this never bore me. :) However, there were a lot of vulgarities used. Err...
February 3, 2011
Just brilliant. I wish I'd written this. Read it!
February 22, 2012
Really good book with some twists and turns for sure!!! I must admit though, the epilogue left me slightly confused. Other than that an enjoyable read!! :)
February 16, 2013
Loved it, loved it, loved it! Very comprehensive review. It kept me reading till 1am.
May 27, 2014
I loved reading Trapped. I found I could not put this novel down.
September 25, 2014
[Gerecenseerd voor Hebban.nl/Crimezone]
Over auteur Brooke Morgan is weinig bekend: geboren in Boston, woonachtig in Londen, twee kinderen. Ook haar Nederlandse uitgever heeft of geeft geen nadere informatie. 'Gevangen' is Morgans tweede thriller, haar eerste is in Nederland verschenen onder de titel 'Smetteloos' ('Tainted').
Ellie Walters vestigt zich na haar vechtscheiding met zoon Tim op Cape Cod, een schiereiland aan de kust van Massachusetts. Puberzoon is aanvankelijk niet blij met de afgelegen woonplaats, maar Ellie voelt zich er in korte tijd thuis, mede dankzij buurvrouw Louisa, die zich als een vriendin ontpopt. Ellies leven lijkt weer volledig op de rails te staan, maar er duiken demonen uit haar verleden op. Zij is ooit betrokken geweest bij een dodelijk ongeval, heeft dat nooit volledig verwerkt en iemand kwelt haar met deze wetenschap. Wie heeft het op haar voorzien, kent haar diepste angsten en maakt haar leven tot een hel? Tezelfdertijd rijzen er problemen tussen Ellie en Joe, zoon van Louisa. Langzaam maar zeker maakt radeloosheid zich meester van Ellie, op zoek naar een uitweg uit de misère.
Hoofdpersoon Ellie Walters staat als gevolg van haar echtscheiding en een traumatische ervaring niet bijzonder stevig in haar schoenen. Ze probeert mogelijke problemen verre van zich te houden door afstandelijk gedrag te vertonen, slaagt hier evenwel niet in, want ze stort al gauw haar hart uit bij haar nieuwe buurvrouw. Beetje tegenstrijdig, maar als er sprake is van een zogeheten ‘klik’ kan het geloofwaardig zijn. Minder geloofwaardig is Ellies houding ten opzichte van Joe en dat geldt vice versa. De nachtmerrieachtige gebeurtenissen mogen voor Ellie dan spannend zijn, voor de lezer zijn ze dat niet. Ze komen onecht over en roepen weinig medegevoel met Ellie op. Sneu voor haar, jammer dan, althans zo heb ik het ervaren. Ik heb me nergens in het verhaal in Ellie kunnen verplaatsen, noch in de andere personages. Ze zijn onvoldoende onderbouwd, hun achtergronden zijn te kort door de bocht, van hun karakters komen slechts de voor het verhaal noodzakelijke trekken naar voren plus een dosis volstrekt niet ter zake doende feiten. Het worden geen mensen van vlees en bloed, wat ze denken en wat hen bezighoudt is onbekend.
Brooke Morgan schrijft in een plezierige, vloeiende stijl, waar niets op aan te merken is. Het mag wat vaker dan sporadisch scherp of gevat, zoals in dit fragment over mensen die hun vakantiefoto’s laten zien aan mensen die er niet bij waren: “Ze willen alleen maar laten zien dat zij ergens geweest zijn waar jij nog niet geweest bent.” 'Gevangen' is te ‘bedacht’, vooral wat de onderlinge verhoudingen aangaat, te lichtvoetig en met te veel toevalligheden aangekleed om een interessante thriller te mogen heten. Teleurstellend voor een boek met de coverquote “Een nieuwe ster in de donkere wereld van de psychologische thriller”. En dan de epiloog. Die is goed, zeer goed zelfs. Die doet je anders kijken naar het hele verhaal, die zet tot overdenking aan. Te laat om 'Gevangen' als thriller te redden, maar op tijd om er toch nog nipt drie sterren uit te slepen en de nieuwsgierigheid te wekken naar meer werk van Morgan. De epiloog doet vermoeden dat Morgan beter kan dan ze in 'Gevangen' laat zien.
Over auteur Brooke Morgan is weinig bekend: geboren in Boston, woonachtig in Londen, twee kinderen. Ook haar Nederlandse uitgever heeft of geeft geen nadere informatie. 'Gevangen' is Morgans tweede thriller, haar eerste is in Nederland verschenen onder de titel 'Smetteloos' ('Tainted').
Ellie Walters vestigt zich na haar vechtscheiding met zoon Tim op Cape Cod, een schiereiland aan de kust van Massachusetts. Puberzoon is aanvankelijk niet blij met de afgelegen woonplaats, maar Ellie voelt zich er in korte tijd thuis, mede dankzij buurvrouw Louisa, die zich als een vriendin ontpopt. Ellies leven lijkt weer volledig op de rails te staan, maar er duiken demonen uit haar verleden op. Zij is ooit betrokken geweest bij een dodelijk ongeval, heeft dat nooit volledig verwerkt en iemand kwelt haar met deze wetenschap. Wie heeft het op haar voorzien, kent haar diepste angsten en maakt haar leven tot een hel? Tezelfdertijd rijzen er problemen tussen Ellie en Joe, zoon van Louisa. Langzaam maar zeker maakt radeloosheid zich meester van Ellie, op zoek naar een uitweg uit de misère.
Hoofdpersoon Ellie Walters staat als gevolg van haar echtscheiding en een traumatische ervaring niet bijzonder stevig in haar schoenen. Ze probeert mogelijke problemen verre van zich te houden door afstandelijk gedrag te vertonen, slaagt hier evenwel niet in, want ze stort al gauw haar hart uit bij haar nieuwe buurvrouw. Beetje tegenstrijdig, maar als er sprake is van een zogeheten ‘klik’ kan het geloofwaardig zijn. Minder geloofwaardig is Ellies houding ten opzichte van Joe en dat geldt vice versa. De nachtmerrieachtige gebeurtenissen mogen voor Ellie dan spannend zijn, voor de lezer zijn ze dat niet. Ze komen onecht over en roepen weinig medegevoel met Ellie op. Sneu voor haar, jammer dan, althans zo heb ik het ervaren. Ik heb me nergens in het verhaal in Ellie kunnen verplaatsen, noch in de andere personages. Ze zijn onvoldoende onderbouwd, hun achtergronden zijn te kort door de bocht, van hun karakters komen slechts de voor het verhaal noodzakelijke trekken naar voren plus een dosis volstrekt niet ter zake doende feiten. Het worden geen mensen van vlees en bloed, wat ze denken en wat hen bezighoudt is onbekend.
Brooke Morgan schrijft in een plezierige, vloeiende stijl, waar niets op aan te merken is. Het mag wat vaker dan sporadisch scherp of gevat, zoals in dit fragment over mensen die hun vakantiefoto’s laten zien aan mensen die er niet bij waren: “Ze willen alleen maar laten zien dat zij ergens geweest zijn waar jij nog niet geweest bent.” 'Gevangen' is te ‘bedacht’, vooral wat de onderlinge verhoudingen aangaat, te lichtvoetig en met te veel toevalligheden aangekleed om een interessante thriller te mogen heten. Teleurstellend voor een boek met de coverquote “Een nieuwe ster in de donkere wereld van de psychologische thriller”. En dan de epiloog. Die is goed, zeer goed zelfs. Die doet je anders kijken naar het hele verhaal, die zet tot overdenking aan. Te laat om 'Gevangen' als thriller te redden, maar op tijd om er toch nog nipt drie sterren uit te slepen en de nieuwsgierigheid te wekken naar meer werk van Morgan. De epiloog doet vermoeden dat Morgan beter kan dan ze in 'Gevangen' laat zien.
February 16, 2013
I was quite enjoying this book until about two thirds of the way through when it got totally silly and too unbelievable. Up until then I liked the characters, and the mystery and intrigue surrounding Ellie, and who could be tormenting her in her new life she has set up for herself and her son Tim. Thoroughly spoilt in my opinion and the last chapter certainly didn't help!
March 15, 2012
I've read a few novels similar to this one and got through it quite quickly as there was plenty of action to keep me wanting to read. Unfortunately, I had guessed what was going on and sometimes things felt slightly unbelievable. However, a decent read.
April 6, 2013
boring, predictable and a big let down.
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