Revenge doesn’t wait for permission.
Growing up poor in rural Georgia, Bree Cabbat was warned by her single mother that the world was a dark and scary place. Bree rejected her mother’s fearful outlook, and life has proved her right. Having married into a family with wealth, power, and connections, Bree now has all a woman could ever dream of: a loving lawyer husband, two talented teenage daughters, a new baby boy, a gorgeous home, and every opportunity in the world.
Until the day she awakens and sees a witch peering into her bedroom window—an old gray-haired woman dressed all in black who vanishes as quickly as she appears. It must be a play of the early morning light or the remnant of a waking dream, Bree tells herself, shaking off the bad feeling that overcomes her.
Later that day though, she spies the old woman again, in the parking lot of her daughÂters’ private school . . . just minutes before Bree’s infant son, asleep in his car seat only a few feet away, vanishes. It happened so quickly—Bree looked away only for a second. There is a note left in his place, warning her that she is being is being watched; if she wants her baby back, she must not call the police or deviate in any way from the instructions that will follow.
The mysterious woman makes contact, and Bree learns she, too, is a mother. Why would another mother do this? What does she want? And why has she targeted Bree? Of course Bree will pay anything, do anything. It’s her child.
To get her baby back, Bree must complete one small—but critical—task. It seems harmless enough, but her action comes with a devastating price, making her complicit in a tangled web of tragedy and shocking secrets that could destroy everything she loves. It is the beginning of an odyssey that will lead Bree to dangerous places, explosive confrontations, and chilling truths.
Bree will do whatever it takes to protect her family—but what if the cost tears their world apart?
Review
Thank you to Netgalley for an audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
Do mothers know best? Bree’s mother has always feared the world, never being able to trust, and now only able to relax in a guarded facility where limited people have access. Bree didn’t inherit this distrust in the world, but maybe she should have. It all starts when in middle of the night she catches a quick glimpse of an old woman standing outside her bedroom window, likely crushing her Basil plant. She shakes it off thinking it was a trick of the mind. But when she sees the women in the parking lot of her children’s school, that’s when she begins to worry. But what is there to be afraid of? She is an old lady and she is probably over thinking it. But with just one seconds glance away that older women has taken her baby and the only way for her to get her son back is to follow 3 rules, which include, do exactly as she says, and don’t tell anyone what is happening. Bree does it all for her family, but what if they are the reason this is happening?
I did really enjoy this book and flew through it. It’s not a psychological suspense where everything you thought you knew is actually wrong, but it does have a few shock moments. I love the way this story was developed. It started off right away with the women at her bedroom window and took no time for the baby to be kidnapped. I am glad that the story started off at this quick pace. As the story went on it did kind of slow down but it was still enjoyable.
I thought there were some unique aspects of the book. I am used to where the kidnapper is a completely unknown character where you only have a slight glimpse of who they are. In this book you almost feel sorry for the lady. And it’s weird but interesting the way the relationship, for good or bad, develops between Bree and her. I liked having the insight into her story as well.
There were many aspects of suspense displayed in this story that kept the book moving along. Some stuff I feel could have been drawn out more, but I loved how the backstory was developed. And this book isn’t only about the kidnapping. There is so much more to this book that adds to the plot and the whole reason Bree’s son was targeted. I’m glad that the story included more than what meets the eye.
The audio for this book is narrated by the author herself, which I love when a book does this. Only the authors themselves truly know how things should be done and the right pacing to give the desired effect. That’s one of the main reasons the narration of this book was so good. The narration stuck to a good speed and there was so much emotion and effects in the reading that it really brought the story to life. Most of the book the main character is fighting to do anything to save her child’s life and you can hear the anxiety in her voice at the heart dropping moment when she realizes her baby isn’t where he was just a few seconds ago. I, myself, held my breath because it was so easy to get lost in the story. This is just one of the many moments in the book that enhances the book by the work of the narration.
There was also differentiation in the narrator’s voice for each character. You could hear the cracking voice in the old women’s words as she spoke, her example. There were also characters with accents or a different pace or way of speaking. This made it easy to tell who was speaking.
The story was mainly told in a first-person point of view by Bree but there was also some chapter by another main character in the story which was 3rd person. I liked having these duel perspectives as it gave you insight into what the other person was thinking.
Overall, I think that it was a really good book, there wasn’t much to dislike except maybe the pacing in some parts and the overall thrill. I thought most of it was predictable and that things went too according to plan. But I am glad I took the time to read it. If you’re a fan of a dark mystery I would give it a try.