The Seduction by Johanna Briscoe

Published : 11th June 2020

Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing

Format : Kindle, Hardback

Genre : Thriller

Synopsis

Beth lives by Camden Lock with her partner Sol and their daughter Fern. Life is peaceful, but Beth is troubled by increasing unease. It could be to do with her mother's disappearance years ago. It could be her sense that Fern is keeping secrets from her.

So she goes to therapy. Dr Tamara Bywater is there to help her patients, and soon their sessions become the highlight of Beth's week. But Beth is in over her head before she realises that Tamara might not be all she seems...

What if the person you trust the most turns out to be the greatest danger of all?

My Review

I couldn't wait to get beneath the cover of this one as I found it very alluring, less is more sometimes and the design image on this dust sheet was absolutely enticing.

The story is about Beth, a mother, a wife and an illustrator. She lives happily in her home with her husband and daughter on the Camden Lock.

Everything seems to be fine on the surface but deep down Beth is struggling with the fact that her mother walked out on her completely out of the blue one day at the age of thirteen. She never dealt with it and just pushed it down but now her own daughter is turning thirteen it is all slowly bubbling over into to Beths everyday life and she finds her self questioning her self as a mother, her daughter is keeping secrets and staying out late and she cant seem to balance out there relationship.

Sol her husband suggests she sees a therapist to maybe work through some of her issues so she can move on.

This is where we meet Dr Tamara Bywater. Beth is instantly pulled in by her calming voice and her patient way that she has when Beth is talking.

This starts an unhealthy relationship. Beth becomes more and more obsessed with Tamara and wants to know everything about her, seemingly seeing her when she goes out and even trying to ask questions about her during the sessions. She even finds herself attracted to her in a sexual way.

Beth becomes distracted at home and her husband and her daughter notice that she is acting very different, but to Beth her daughter is keeping secrets and she is starting to question her love for her husband, all because of this pull she has towards her therapist.

Something is not right with Dr Tamara though and it is not long before the dr patient relationship turns into something more and not everything is as it seems from the outside.

People truly do only allow you to see what they want you too see. What is meant to be Beths salvation to help her through her issues ends up threatening everything that she knows.

Why I Loved It

I found the story engaged with me right from the start, it wasn't a slow build up to a point, you get to know Beth and her problems pretty early on but can also see from an outside point of view where it is all going wrong for Beth. You are kept guessing as to what it is that is so sinister with the Dr throughout, Beths husband has a friend who is married to another therapist and she tries to warn him that Tamara isn't who she says she is but by this point Beth won't listen.

A very gripping and nail biting read. And also a stunning front cover.

Add this one to your must read pile.