A lightning romance and hastily arranged marriage takes Holly up north to live at the heart of Nathan’s family business – a luxurious log-cabin park on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales. She has everything to look forward to, but within days of her arrival she falls prey to a series of unsettling events. It is obvious that someone doesn’t want her there.It all points to Kyle, Nathan’s surrogate … surrogate brother, a deeply manipulative individual who shares a complex relationship with her husband. Suspicious of his motives and desperate for some answers, she starts delving into his past. An accidental discovery, concerning a mysterious disappearance, alerts Holly’s suspicions further and she is determined to find the key to it all. But things are not so straightforward and she is unprepared for the chilling revelations in store.
more
Suspicion by Brenda Guiton is what I like to call a “Sleeper Car.”
Meaning that I expected suspense, secrets and something dark and psychological, but what I didn’t expect is how effortlessly the plot would zoom me forward and how engrossed I would be, right from the opening pages.
I finished this easy-to-read suspense novel in less than a few hours. It wasn’t high-octane action; instead it was a masterful and deliberate psychological buildup all the way to the final page. The use of profluence and foreshadowing was excellent. It was just enough to keep me on edge and always wondering what might happen next.
A self-employed British web designer named Holly goes to visit her mom and her boyfriend Charlie in Spain at their new villa in Jerez, only to meet someone who changes everything for her. She is spontaneous and life happens when she falls in love with Nathan, a British man from “The Dales” who was also on holiday.
Although Nathan was written as the handsome, athletic archetype with the beautiful eyes and the whole dreamboat package, there is something about him that seems to be a little too good to be true. Knock me over with a feather when we find out the truth.
There is interplay of expectation or fantasy when Holly and Nathan get married very quickly and she’s back in the U.K. at his family’s compound of vacation cottages as his wife.
The initial meeting with Nathan’s family becomes weird and disturbing after she meets his brother Kyle. The brothers are physical opposites and seem to be different in attitude as well. They are extreme sports fanatics and basically spend all their spare time rock climbing, hang gliding and act almost like identical twins, which they most definitely are not.
Kyle reminded me many times of someone I once knew, he was also extremely jealous, prone to angry fits and always lurked, rather than walked on by. Kyle’s sexuality is also in question, so he comes off as conflicted and secretive. That aspect alone doesn’t make someone good or bad in any way, but it does pose the question of him possibly having a shadow life. His character never feels authentic or honest to the reader and is about as unreliable as you can get.
These character details also make the reader wonder what else he might be capable of when a few more “accidental” things occur in the novel. He doesn’t like Holly and makes it quite clear from the first moment they meet with snarky and rude comments that are thinly veiled by a charm he exudes that seems to dissuade others from seeing his immature fits, while engaging in extreme drinking binges with his brother.
What made this interesting to observe was how Holly saw right through Kyle’s manipulations, but no one else did, so she was on her own to figure things out.
Families are always complicated and an outsider can change the dynamics, as it seems Holly did when she showed up and learned that more than a few things in her new situation might be quite different that what she’d expected.
The turmoil of dealing with huge lifestyle changes, new living arrangements and the stress on a woman who is independent and unused to family drama was written spot on.
Holly was a strong character who took things in stride, even when Nathan defended his brother more often than her side of it, but she also listened to her gut. I can’t say more without spoiling it––if she was right or not about her “Suspicion,” but she was definitely on to something.
Even more interesting, when a terrible secret from the past comes to light, it isn’t who you think it is that instigated or created the situation. The tragic twist at the end was well done and it truly took me by surprise.
“The leaden sky had stolen the light, evoking an air of menace as darkness closed in on the surrounding woods.”
Anyone who likes a good mystery with lots of suspense and has ever experienced a romantic situation where they were triangulated or always made to be the odd person out––would totally get into this story that talks about the hazards of falling in love too quickly, family, dark secrets and how lies can compile and shift the future for everyone involved.
Well done!
This is a well written, compelling mystery about the break down of a relationship through the eroding damage of suspicion. I enjoyed it very much although I have to admit I found the heroine a bit self-righteous at times and I didn’t like her that much.
Even though the reader knows who is involved in the disappearance of the girl who stayed at her husband’s family’s holiday park, we don’t know how or why until the end and the tension build up is very good. The descriptions of the Yorkshire dales are lovely and I had a great sense of place. Recommended holiday reading!
Web designer Holly’s life is about to change as she heads to her mother’s villa for a well deserved holiday. A handsome stranger on her flight, Nathan, captures her interests and heart, resulting in a steamy romance and a whirlwind marriage. As they settle in to life at the luxurious log cabin park Nathan’s family owns, Holly finds that all is not what it seems.
Nathan’s surrogate brother, Kyle lurks around the newlyweds every move, causing Holly to question the seemingly close knit family ties. Circumstances lead to wrongful accusations, threatening the fragile bridge of trust in Holly and Nathan’s marital world. Will they be able to overcome the seeds of doubt that threaten their newly founded relationship?
Secrets of the past emerge, revealing years of coverups and deceit. As Holly learns the truth, will she ever be able to trust the man she loves? Author Guiton takes us on a gripping tale of dangerous suspicions at every turn. How well do you know the one you love? A page turning read, highly recommended!