Title: What We Did by Christobel Kent
Publisher: Sarah Crichton Books
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense
Length: 320 pages
Book Rating: B
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
He stole her childhood . . . she’ll take his future
Something happened, she didn’t know what, something spun, the world turning, back, back, too fast. She would be sick. Bridget put out a hand to steady herself against the wall.
Bridget has a secret—one she keeps from everyone, even her husband. One that threatens to explode when her childhood music teacher, Carmichael, walks into her dress shop. With him is a young girl on the cusp of adulthood, fresh-faced and pretty. She reminds Bridget of herself at that age, naïve and vulnerable.
Bridget wants him away—away from her, away from that girl. But Carmichael won’t leave her alone, won’t stop stalking her. And Bridget’s not a little girl anymore. When he pushes her too far, she snaps. But what she thought was a decisive act only unravels more insidious threats—more than she could have ever imagined—and from which no one is safe, not even her family.
The bestselling British author Christobel Kent has written yet another thrilling page-turner with a twisted, riveting conclusion. What We Did is a nightmarish, impossible-to-put-down tale of the secrets we keep from our families, of chilling childhood abuse, and of long-awaited retribution.
Review:
What We Did by Christobel Kent is a suspenseful novel that deals with difficult subject matter in a discerning and thought-provoking manner.
Bridget Webster is a happily married mum and business owner. From the outside, there is little sign of her troubling past which is exactly how she likes it. She has not confided in her husband, Matt, nor her younger sister, Carrie, about the dark secret she has kept for over two decades. However, when her former music teacher Anthony “Tony” Carmichael suddenly drops back into her life, Bridget is inundated with horrifying memories. After a confrontation with Carmichael goes horribly wrong, Bridget desperately tries to keep the events from the past and present from being exposed. Carrie is unexpectedly drawn into her sister’s attempts to cover her tracks and Bridget is appalled to learn newspaper reporter Gillian “Gill” Lawson is asking questions about Anthony. Will Bridget’s and Carrie’s efforts to keep the truth under wraps be successful?
Bridget is content with the safe life she has with Matt and their son Finn. She feels quite safe with Matt who never delves too deeply beneath the surface. Bridget maintains tight control over every aspect of her life and she has deeply buried the troubling events that destroyed her teenage years. She loves her sister but their relationship has never quite recovered from her rocky teen years. The sisters sometimes go for months without contact but Bridget always provides Carrie with a safe haven when she needs one. Carrie’s sudden reappearance could not come at a worse time for Bridget. However, circumstances force her to accept Carrie’s help when her sister literally stumbles across what Bridget is frantically trying to hide.
What We Did is an engrossing novel that is a little slow paced despite the suspense. One of the main story arcs revolves around Bridget’s attempts to conceal her present misdeed but this part of the storyline ends up being drawn out way too long. A side plot line with her employee is interesting and provides another layer of tension to some of the unfolding events. Bridget discovers she has grossly underestimated her husband but what effect will this have on their relationship? A late in the story situation with Finn neatly intersects with another thread in the plot and adds a sense of urgency as Christobel Kent brings this suspense-laden novel to a satisfying conclusion. This absorbing novel deals with subject matter is very dark but it is handled with a great deal of sensitivity. An insightful novel that I highly recommend to fans of the genre.
