As a huge fan of Sheryl’s I’m super excited to be joining this blog blitz…
The Babysitter: A gripping psychological thriller with edge of your seat suspense
myBook.to/TBSSocial
You trust her with your family. Would you trust her with your life?
Mark and Melissa Cain are thrilled to have found Jade, a babysitter who is brilliant with their young children. Having seen her own house burn to the ground, Jade needs them as much as they need her. Moving Jade into the family home can only be a good thing, can’t it?
As Mark works long hours as a police officer and Melissa struggles with running a business, the family become ever more reliant on their babysitter, who is only too happy to help. And as Melissa begins to slip into depression, it’s Jade who is left picking up the pieces.
But Mark soon notices things aren’t quite as they seem. Things at home feel wrong, and as Mark begins to investigate their seemingly perfect sitter, what he discovers shocks him to his core. He’s met Jade before. And now he suspects he might know what she wants …
Mark is in a race against time to protect his family. But what will he find as he goes back to his family home?
If you loved reading The Girl on the Train, Behind Closed Doors and The Sister, you’ll love the suspense of The Babysitter. This unputdownable read will have you turning the pages until way after dark.
MY REVIEW
Sheryl Browne has delivered yet another fabulous nail biting read. What is interesting about this story is that unlike her previous thrillers, this time we actually get inside the head of the incredibly evil young woman who owns the title of this book. We learn her motives and see exactly how she means to achieve her goals, acting with an icy callousness common to those with psychopathic tendencies.
She is someone whose actions have been triggered by events experienced as a child long ago. A traumatic event and the first time she met DI Mark Cain. He said he’d always be there for her and she hasn’t forgotten that promise. Now an adult, she has recently moved in opposite Mark and his family. When her cottage is badly damaged by fire they come to Jade’s aid. As she has no relatives they offer to put her up while the insurance is being sorted. Jade tells them she is trained in child care and offers to help Mark’s wife Melissa, looking after the children while she works.
On the surface Jade is perfect. She’s pretty, competent; nothing it appears is too much for her to cope with. Her arrival seems to have come at the right time as Mel suddenly begins to feel unwell, leaving her with the day to day responsibilities for seven year old Poppy and baby Evie. Mark too is affected as Mel’s depression and lack of energy worsens and begins to have an adverse impact on his job.
I was amazed at how cleverly Jade manipulated everyone around her, creating massive cracks in the Cain’s previously idyllic marriage. Even when things don’t quite go to plan, she’s there, finding ways around the problem to get her back on track.
And poor Mark, like all Sheryl’s previous central male characters he comes under incredible pressure as he battles to save both his marriage and his job. There were times I wondered how or even whether he’d survive.
Jade is a thoroughly nasty character, complex and damaged. She’s one jump ahead of everyone in her twisted plan to get rid of Mel and have Mark for herself. She’s on a mission and absolutely nothing is going to stand in her way.
An edge of the seat story, cleverly written with great characters – Jade was an absolute masterpiece!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sheryl Browne brings you powerful psychological thriller and contemporary fiction. SheryI’s latest psychological thriller THE BABYSITTER – the first of a three-book deal – comes to you from fabulous BOOKOUTURE. A member of the Crime Writers’ Association and the Romantic Novelists’ Association, and previously writing for award winning Choc Lit, Sheryl has several books published and two short stories in Birmingham City University anthologies, where she completed her MA in Creative Writing.
So why does Sheryl write in two genres? Quoting E. L. Doctorow, Sheryl says: “Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as your headlights…” This she thinks sums up a writer’s journey, you never quite know where you are going until you get there. You might start with an outline, but a strong character will always divert from the plot. If Sheryl’s not sure where a character is going, she simply has to trust him to show her the way. Plus, according to one reviewer, she also has a scary insight into the mind of a psychopath.
Please do find out more about Sheryl at http://www.sherylbrowne.com
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Thanks for an interesting review. This one sounds like a day-time read for me, when I don’t have any babysitting scheduled for a while lol 😉
Reblogged this on MorgEn Bailey – Editor, Comp Columnist/Judge, Tutor & Writing Guru and commented:
Another triumph for Sheryl…
Reblogged this on KIT DOMINO and commented:
Delighted to bring this excellent thriller to your attention.
Great review, on the strength of which Sheryl’s thriller has jumped to the top of my TBR pile and have reblogged. Thanks, Jo, for bringing this book to my attention; I might have missed this otherwise. Kit 🙂