I thought this story had potential but needed some work. In the first half of the book you meet the main character Donna - a middle aged woman married to Edward, a plastic surgeon, and the mother of Penelope aged around 29. Donna appears to have been ‘sent’ to live at Shadow Garden. We are not told what this place is but from the context I guessed it was some sort of very up-market care home for wealthy people who were either infirm or loony tunes. Edward seems about to ‘have a moment’ and Penelope seems, well, difficult, troubled, a danger to herself and others.

It was a chore to get to that point. The story was not easy to follow. The time lines were all over the place with no explanation and there was sooo much detail about Donna’s perfect mansion (that she no longer lived in) and her former, perfectly curated life . I couldn’t help thinking who the heck cares? Who cares about the hand crafted chandelier imported from Italy and on and on and on. By the halfway point I had guessed what was up with Penelope and what Donna’s condition was. There was obviously some tragedy that was going to be revealed but it was like pulling teeth. The name of the care home - Shadow Garden - may have been a good title for a somewhat creepy novel but this wasn’t creepy and I thought the name would be awful for a real place. I thought there was a lot of confected drama, call it melodrama and because the story centred around an ultra wealthy family with seemingly unlimited resources it seemed to have no resonance with real life, real people, real problems and certainly not me. I did not enjoy reading this.

A chill inducing, suspenseful novel that you will not be able to quit! A mystery that twists around not only the main character, but the reader and refuses to let go until the very end. the author weaves a suspenseful tale that leaves you guessing.

Shadow Garden is a creepy and necessary thriller book! I really enjoyed this one and loved how the plot and characters went. Great book!
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book I've read from this author and will be looking forward to read more!! I loved this book from start to finish! Anyone who enjoys suspenseful books will really enjoy this one.

On the surface, Donna Pryor appears to have everything a woman could want, at least materially. What she wants, an ex who will talk to her and news about her grown-up daughter, are out of reach. As the days in her lavish condo, complete with attentive staff pass by, Donna begins to feel smothered. Is her luxurious home really just a well appointed prison? I was unprepared for a few of the surprises that Burt sprung in this thriller, making it an excellent read