This review is written with thanks to the publisher for my copy of Believe.

Blurb:

Natalie has spent ten years trying to get over the twin set of events which changed her life forever.

The first: the moment her boss assaulted her. The second: the moment the jury declared him innocent – and her, a liar.

The memories continue to haunt Natalie, and in her attempts to block out the past, she often wakes up with no recollection of where she’s been – or what she’s done.

So when her husband, Ryan, gets accused of the same crime, Natalie comes perilously close to the edge.

Natalie wants to believe him. But when the body of the young woman who made the accusation is found in the woods near their house, Ryan becomes a prime suspect, and Natalie realises she can’t trust anyone – herself included…

Review:

Believe is a really accomplished novel that is brilliantly plotted, suspenseful and fast paced. I was totally gripped by SM Govett’s storytelling and I really wanted to find out the answers.

The novel is narrated alternately by detective Helen Stratton and Natalie Campbell. Helen has her own tragic back story, and Natalie has post traumatic stress disorder from a sexual assault where the perpetrator was found not guilty. This means that neither character is completely reliable and their judgement is often impaired, which makes for an intriguing story where I was never totally sure of the correct version of events. The technique also allows the author to show us into the characters’ lives and how what has happened to them has impacted them.

As I was reading Believe, I was often sure I knew where the story was going, but boy, I was so wrong! I don’t think I can say much without giving away spoilers, but the ending literally made me shout out loud!

I can’t wait to see what this author does next – she’s definitely one to watch!

Believe is available from Amazon.