The Perfect Son by Lauren North
Psychological Thriller, 359 pages
Published August 13th 2019 by Berkley Books
A disturbing and shocking debut novel of psychological suspense about a recently widowed mother, her young son, and the lengths she'll go to in order to keep him safe.
When Tess Clarke wakes up in the hospital the day after her son Jamie's eighth birthday, she's sure of these things: She's been stabbed, her son is missing, her brother-in-law and her grief counselor are involved. But no one is listening to her.
After her husband, Mark, died suddenly in a terrible accident a few months earlier, the only thing keeping Tess together is Jamie. As they struggle to make sense of their new life without Mark, they find joy in brief moments of normalcy like walking to school and watching television together. Life is hard without Mark, but Tess has Jamie, and that's what matters.
But there in the hospital, confused and surrounded by people who won't listen, Tess’s world falls apart. To save her son, she must piece together what happened between Mark's death and Jamie's birthday, but the truth might just be too much for her to bear.
(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first line.)
First line—"There is a snippet of time, oh so short, when the morphine in my system begins to fade, but the pain is still fuzzy."
Okay, this story grabbed me from the very first page, the ending surprised me, and everything in between sucked me in. I couldn't put this book down! I seriously wanted to go back and read it again when I finished, just to see if I could see that ending coming the second time around.
The Perfect Son is Lauren's debut novel and she did an amazing job! I'm definitely going to be checking out her other books. This book is an exceptional psychological thriller!
I received an ARC of The Perfect Son from Goodreads and this is my honest opinion.
About the author
Lauren writes psychological suspense novels that delve into the darker side of relationships and families. She has a lifelong passion for writing, reading, and all things books. Lauren’s love of psychological suspense has grown since childhood and her dark imagination of always wondering what’s the worst thing that could happen in every situation.
Lauren studied psychology before moving to London where she lived and worked for many years. She now lives with her family in the Suffolk countryside. Readers can follow Lauren on Twitter @Lauren_C_North and Facebook @LaurenNorthAuthor ~ Goodreads
Sounds like a nice mystery to cozy up to! I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)
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