'A gripping psychological thriller that pulls the reader through the story at a terrific pace, not giving them a moment to draw breath' Nikki Smith, author of All in Her Head
Jenna is a wife, a mother, a doctor. She's also the victim of a stalker.
Every time she leaves her house, she sees him. Disturbing gifts are left at her door. Cruel emails are sent to her colleagues. She has no idea who this man is but she feels powerless against him.
Until the day he is brought into her hospital after a serious accident, and Jenna is given the chance to find out once and for all why this man is tormenting her. Now, the power is all hers.
But how many lines is she willing to cross to take back control of her life?
'Lauren North really knows how to reel you in. Absolutely brilliant' Lesley Kara, author of The Rumour
'A really gripping rollercoaster of a read - I absolutely loved it, and read it in one sitting' Lisa Hall, author of Between You and Me
'I absolutely adored this disturbingly twisty tale of stalking, obsession and control' Emma Curtis, author of The Night You Left
'Twisty and addictive - I loved One Step Behind' Louise Beech, author of I Am Dust
*****
My Thoughts:
One Step Behind is the first book that I have read by Lauren North and it is one that I managed to read in a day. The twists and turns wouldn't leave me alone and the pervading sense of doom has me also looking over my shoulder. I found it to be really well written and ever so creepy.
Jenna is an A&E doctor and she is frazzled and on the brink of burning out. She has two children, a husband and a stalker. She is anxious and upset and every waking moment is consumed with fear and anguish about her stalker. When she leaves the house there could be horrible gifts on the doorstep, she could be followed or it could be another day of the anonymous emails. Everything Jenna holds dear feels as if it is in danger and there has to be a breaking point.
On shift in A&E after another sleepless night Jenna thinks she is imagining things when her stalker is brought in to her department after a critical accident. Obviously all of her morals tell her that she must treat him but wouldn't it be closure if she didn't. This is the dilemna she finds herself in, either way this is Jenna's chance to find out the identity of this individual and take back control.
I adored the tension in this book that built up bit by bit across the chapters and the escalation that was noticeable throughout. There was misdirection and red herrings and I did not guess the outcome at all. This was down to skill on the authors part in the character development and the expectation of their behaviours.
Jenna was a character that I empathised with. She was being pulled in every which way and her life and that of her family appears to be slowly unravelling. I found the plot of this story to be scarily plausible but this added to the tension. This book was utterly compelling. I just had to keep turning the pages to reach the final conclusions.
I have been lucky enough to have read some cracking books lately and One Step Behind is up there amongst the finest, it is a fantastic psychological thriller.
About the Author:
Lauren North 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 from 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
Please do also have a look at the other stops on the blog tour.
Thanks so much for the blog tour support Leah x
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