THE SON
ELENA WILKES ****
You think your new husband is just wonderful. You are so proud of your polite and popular teenage son… But how well do you know the men in your life really? What dark things are they not letting you see?
The girl has no idea she’s about to be chosen.
She almost didn’t go out at all. She’d thought about staying home, but how wonderful would it be to meet someone tonight? Someone nice, someone funny, someone who could change her life forever. She just needs to put herself out there.
Standing alone, sipping her drink, she gives a little start when he comes over.
“Hi,” he says. His voice is nice. Friendly. “I’m not crazy about bars, are you?”
“No.” She shakes her head and smiles.
“Want to get out of here?”
He grabs her hand and leads her outside. His fingers feel warm and soft. She can’t help it, she giggles – excited, embarrassed.
“What did you say your name was?” she asks. It’s dark out here, they’re alone now.
“I know yours.” He looks across at her. “You’re ‘Brave’.”
She laughs along. Nothing bad is going to happen, she tells herself, uncertain now.
…Right?
We’ve all heard the familiar story – the doting wife and mother who doesn’t even realise she’s harbouring monsters in her own home. The Son is a gripping tale, full of twists, secrets and heart-stopping suspense. Trust no one, suspect everyone – an unputdownable psychological thriller that will leave you breathless. Perfect for fans of Ruth Ware, Clare Douglas and Lisa Jewell.
MY REVIEW *****
Beth is a Samaritan worker in a local prison, loyal mother to her teenage son and newly married to police officer Drew. However, when she starts receiving mysterious phone calls from Melanie, she worries the men in her life might not be all they appear to be.
The Son is a twisty thriller which kept me guessing throughout. It’s actually quite a difficult read, as Beth is gaslit by everyone and unsure of who to trust. That being said, I found Beth to be quite an annoying main character as she jumped to conclusions, made weird decisions and made excuses for her son throughout. She’s one of those characters you want to shake and yell at whilst reading for being too stupid. Although, a lot of the characters around her seem to be acting in weird ways and there are a lot of red herrings which did not help her state of mind!
Beth also gets herself in some really dangerous situations but always seems to get out of them unscathed. The prose starts off slowly but by the end really picks up the pace to race to the finish line. The main twist really takes the book in a completely different direction from where I was guessing we were heading and might be triggering for some. I don’t think the conclusion really wrapped as much up as I was hoping for, particularly when it came to Beth and her personal life.
Overall, The Son is a twisty read, although the naivety of the main character was irritating at times. Thank you to NetGalley & Storm Publishing for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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