The story was good, the mystery was strong, I wanted to keep reading and discover the resolution. However, it was like watching a scary movie on TV with commercials, broken up, losing the necessary tension and flow to maintain the delicious suspense. Just when I was getting into something, it would rip me out and put me somewhere else, leaving me discombobulated and frustrated. Perhaps this was the effect the author was trying to achieve, in which case, she was successful.

Gayle has a talent with description, one could easily see the dreary English landscape through the familiar gray-blue filter. The stress throughout the novel was palpable, the grief was tangible. It left you clawing for the surface, desperate for the air of your own reality. You know someone is a great writer when they affect your mood, either good or bad. Each character was laden with secrets that wove together an extremely rich and complex novel. I could relate to the mothers and their despondency over failure, vacillating between whether you were helping or harming your child by being present, if they were better off without you. There was the tiniest feeling of hope, enough to make you think that things may turn out okay.

My overall takeaway was that this story starts out good, ends well, but can become disjointed in the middle, but I look forward to reading more of Gayle’s work in the future.

This book was all over the place. The characters were so numerous I never really felt like I got to know any of them and the storyline never really connected for me. Elise and Nathaniel have three kids and were brought together by similar tragedies. Once they lose on of their children Elise believes that the baby was switched with another one. But why and by who? And what really happened to their first child who died? You will get all the answers in the end but I cannot promise you that you will make it all the way to there.

Another great story from an amazing author. Loved it. Creepy and threatening I could feel my heart racing through all of it. It’s an exceptionally well written book that needs a high level of concentration as the time line jumps around bit a great story x

This one is kind of all over the place with several aspects of one story being told at the same time. First there is the "Suicide Watcher," a killer who forces people to shoot themselves. Also there is "now," in which Elise (whose mother was a victim of the Suicide Watcher) is convinced her baby has been switched at birth and is also dealing with the aftermath of her teenage daughter's death. Finally, "then" describes the events surrounding the daughter's death. I kind of feel like this is one that I shouldn't have liked because there really was just a lot going on and a lot of minor surprises or unexpected connections and that sort of thing, almost trying too hard to repeatedly surprise, but I still really did like it. Four stars.

I am not sure what to say about this book. It focuses primarily on parents Elise and Nathaniel, whose mothers were allegedly targeted by a serial killer called the "Suicide Watcher', which brought them together. There are a ton of side characters as well, including their 3 kids, Elise's dad and brother, their daughter's mother and boyfriend, and another couple who Elise believes is raising a baby that was switched with hers at birth. The chapters go back and forth between the serial killer's POV and the Elise/Nathaniel story from both right after their daughter died (a year ago) and the present time. Multiple characters suffer from some sort of psychiatric disorder and all have been affected in some way by multiple suicides within their inner circles.

Did you have trouble keeping all of that straight? Yeah, me too. So many characters tied with the back and forth in time made this a choppy story for me. There was also an almost blase attitude towards suicide (not to mention appalling acts of crime in general, presented matter-of-factly throughout the book), which is prevalent in all of their lives (and may not actually be suicide after all, depending on each situation). I found it hard to get to know these characters, and to relate to any of them.

I was surprised when the "Suicide Watcher" was revealed- I figured it out just before it was unveiled and was surprised I had missed it earlier. That twist, tied with the overall uniqueness of the story, make this book worth a read, but not one of my favorites.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

“Mental illness is sickness of the mind caused by the constant overwhelming battle one has with one’s essence, beliefs and purpose.” (I Choose You, p. 235)
If this is the definition of mental illness, then the only sane person in this lovely dark piece of domestic noir is the serial killer. All the rest of the characters seem at odds with their true selves, and quite frankly with one another. Elise has decided her latest child, Buddy, is a changeling and tries to steal another couple’s baby. She and her husband, Nathaniel are at each other’s throats, even as their daughter lies in a coma. Elise’s father entertains violent schizophrenics at the house while the grandkids are visiting. And the number one cause of death in the family appears to be a self-administered gunshot wound to the head. This group is so dysfunctional they make the Osbornes look like the Osmonds.
And yet, in so many ways, they are like any other family who have seen their share of conflict and tragedy. I was very impressed by how Curtis pulled the many story and character threads along without ever getting tangled. And while some of the character’s motivations didn’t ring true for me, I really loved the eloquent Killer, who we hear from periodically throughout the book. Remember, whether someone is a villain or a hero, really depends on who’s telling the story.
Lots of twists and unreliable narrators to keep a reader on their toes and turning the pages.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy. This was a good book! It was a little confusing at times going back from here to now just because I wasn't able to read a lot at once. when I jumped back in, I would get a little confused as to what was going on. But the suspense was decent!

I have read a few earlier books from this author and enjoyed them all. This was no exception, it was a well developed story line with interesting characters that I soon got involved with.

I have no hesitation in recommending this book and I look forward to reading more.

Thank you to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

When they were just children, both Elise and Nathaniel lost their mothers to a serial killer. The tragedy brought them together and they grew up to marry and have a family of their own. They would be right to think they had already seen enough tragedy in their lives, but sadly, they have even more heartbreak when their daughter is kidnapped and killed. Has the same killer targeted them again all these years later? This is a twisted and scary bit of writing guaranteed to make you keep a light on at night