The Marriage Betrayal by Shalini Boland

Looks can be deceiving...

This psychological thriller surprised me! It's not often that I don't have the whole plot sussed out after the first couple of chapters. I can usually anticipate the twists especially when warned that one is imminent (e.g. With the tagline on the cover "brilliant twist"). Shalini, you got me this time!

What it's about: Faye Townsend plans a seaside trip to Swanage for the family as a birthday surprise for her husband, Jake. Her brother-and sister-in-law, Tom and Lainy are also along. Included are the children, Faye's 7-year-old son Dylan and Tom and Lainy's girls, Annabel and Poppy. The location has been selected specifically because Jake and Lainy grew up in Swanage and Faye thinks they will enjoy a return. The first hint that this vacation isn't going to be so great is when they arrive at the run down Gothic Victorian that's meant to be their lodgings. Still, they initially try to make the best of it with outings to the beach and an art gallery. It becomes obvious that neither Jake nor Lainy are enjoying their homecoming and they decide to leave early. Jake wants to take Dylan on one last activity, dolphin watching, and they intend to take off back to London after. Well, Jake and Dylan never come home. The police are alerted, searching begins, and Faye and her in-laws are frantic with worry. What in the world has happened to them and where are they? NO SPOILERS

Why you should read it: it's great domestic drama with a true surprise. You will have to wade through a lot of angst because emotions are high and that's my least favorite prose to read, but other than that, it was fast forward movement of the narrative and quite entertaining as I jumped to one conclusion after another. I did appreciate the character development and the shift in time perspective in the voices of Faye and Lainy. It's a fun, quick read that I devoured in a couple of hours.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read and review.

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.
Genre - psychological thriller - domestic drama