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Disturbing and thought provoking but��.

When Edward and Isabel are thirty years old, they become the latest Victims of a serial killer, dubbed “The South London Invader��. He preys on “happy couples�� watching them painstakingly for weeks so that he can plan the perfect attack.

ONE NIGHT CHANGES EVERYTHING.

Each deals with the traumatic event differently. Isabel wants to TALK about it-with Edward, with the press, and with Etta-the Detective in charge-and it is a story that all of London wants to hear!

Edward doesn’t want to talk about it at all.

Twenty-five years later, Nigel Wood is caught, and Edward and Isabel, now divorced will reunite for his sentencing. It is an opportunity to deliver impact statements and perhaps to finally get closure about the relationship that they lost as a result of the crime they endured.

The story unfolds from the POV’s of Isabel and Edward. Isabel’s chapters are written like it is her IMPACT STATEMENT chronicling the PAST, while Edward’s chapters cover the PRESENT timeline.

The premise is interesting, but I DID NOT find the book to be a thriller, or suspenseful as advertised. Instead it reads like a character study-with the CHARACTER being the MARRIAGE, and the pace was extremely SLOW.

The story is supposed to demonstrate that a traumatic event like this can destroy even the strongest of marriages, yet I DIDN’T find their love story to be epic at all. Edward is a bit dull, and Isabel is a bit cold. If the descriptions of their intimacy, using the crudest of terms (C word) is supposed to convince us of their love-it didn’t work for this reader.

Early reviews seem to be split between high praise and the opposite, with few in between-and I am one who struggled to get through it. This was a buddy read with DeAnn and Mary Beth…Did they feel differently? Be sure to watch for their reviews.

⚠️ TW: Graphic descriptions of rape/assault

2.5 stars rounded up

Expected publication date: April 15, 2025

Thank You to Penguin Viking for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts.