Karen King
On Sale Date: November 23, 2020
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When Freya first met Phil, she thought he was the man of her dreams. He bought
her roses every week, booked surprise trips to sun-soaked destinations, and
showed her affection like she’d never experienced before. But over time the
dream had become a violent nightmare. And now Freya is packing her bags,
knowing it’s time she escaped their increasingly broken marriage.
But then Freya gets a visit from the police. Phil’s been in a horrific car
crash and – as he comes around – it becomes clear that remembers nothing since
their blissful honeymoon two years before, back when their relationship was
perfect. All he wants is to be happily married again.
Freya knows giving him another chance could be dangerous. But now he’s the one
who needs her, it’s a chance to turn the tables, and to change the outcome of
their relationship once and for all. After all, he will only know what she
chooses to tell him…
MY THOUGHTS
This is the first book I have read by Karen King. THE STRANGER IN MY BED is the author’s first foray into writing psychological thrillers.
Phil and Freya Keegan have been married for two years when a car accident wipes Phil’s memory of the last two years – their entire marriage. To him, he and Freya are much in love and have just returned from their honeymoon to start married life. For Freya, the reality is that she is now at a crossroads. Their marriage was toxic. Phil’s abusive behavior had reached the point where Freya was going to leave him – in fact, she was on her way out the door when the police arrived to tell her about the accident. Now she finds herself confronted by a seemingly different Phil. One who is kind, and caring, and is shocked when she tells him about his past behaviour. On top of this, there is an external threat to one of them. The accident was caused by a deliberate act of sabotage. It was Phil’s car, but they both drive it. Who was the real intended victim?
King has written several books in other genres, and her general writing skills show in this book. This book is easy to read, the prose moves the story along, and when I reached the end, I had no outstanding questions about any of the events that were mentioned in the book.
Having said this, what I did find missing was the tension, and fear, and intensity needed in a thriller to make you want to keep turning those pages to find out what happens next. This book offers no real surprises for anyone who regularly reads thrillers. I felt most twists were obvious before they were finally revealed. I also struggled to understand some of the reactions of the main characters. Their thoughts were logical but this logic came across as clinical and emotionless, and, in Freya’s case highly questionable. I don’t need to like every character I read about but I need to feel something for them, and neither Phil nor Freya invoked anything in me.
My understanding is that King already has another thriller in the works. I would be keen to read it to see where her development as a thriller writer takes her.
Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Netgalley.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I am a multi-published bestselling author of fiction for both adults and children. I have also written several short stories for women's magazines.
I am a member (and the blog co-ordinator) of the Romantic Novelists' Associaton, The Society of Authors and The Society of Women Writers and Journalists.
I live in Spain with my husband Dave and our two cats, Tizzy and Marmaduke.
http://www.karenking.net/
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