With thanks to Netgalley and Aria for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.
Seventeen years ago university student Elizabeth was riding her bike back to halls when she was struck by a lorry. The driver was charming and apologetic, when he offered her a lift home she thought why not?
Elizabeth woke up hours later kept prisoner in a shed in the middle of nowhere. Once she had come round he viciously raped her. When he was about to rape her again Elizabeth found a piece of jagged glass on the floor and stabbed him in the neck. Elizabeth was in shock and felt she could not go to the police so she walked back to university pushing her bicycle in the dark. She never mentioned the rape or killing to anyone and vowed to put it behind her.
In the present day Elizabeth is a lawyer and part owner of a solicitors practice. She is married to Miles who she met at university and they have two children. Her carefully constructed life starts to unravel when someone close starts raking through their past.
I can't say much more in case I ruin the story. But I have to say, this book has left me speechless it was so good. The tension the author creased was palpable, I could practically hear the clock ticking as Elizabeth's secret was about to be revealed.
You find out what happened to Elizabeth early in the story, but this made me understand the lengths she went to protect herself. The character I disliked was Miles because he wanted Elizabeth to confess because he could not live with himself knowing the truth.
I highly recommend this book and give it 5 stars. I look forward to Cynthia Clark's next book.
