The Other Boy by Heidi Field

 

4 STARS

When the worst comes calling…

Scott and Blair Bagby are a happy, successful English couple living in the suburbs with their teenage son and Great Dane. Life seems good, until one beautiful spring morning when a detective inspector knocks on their door asking if their son is home, unleashing an unspeakable horror that blows apart the life they thought they had.

Police have discovered bodies buried deep in the Peasedale forest and the inspector suspects one is Jamie, the final victim of a brutal and prolific serial killer. But Jamie’s death is unlike all the others, starting with his emergency phone call that leads to a macabre burial ground near a dilapidated hunting shack and creates shocking suspicions.

With bone deep grief threatening to destroy their marriage and their sanity, Scott and Blair set out to investigate Jamie’s death, a journey that not only upends their perceptions of who they are, but torturously reveals they may not have known Jamie at all…

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR -

Heidi Field was raised in the beautiful countryside of the South of England with her parents and her two sisters. In her twenties she was a freelance Sports Massage Therapist. She achieved a Degree in Zoology at the age of thirty and then went on to raise two boys and became the stepmother of three more young children. She still lives near her family home with her partner, their Great Dane and the children that have yet to fly the nest. In her early forties Heidi completed a Masters in Creative Writing at Winchester University. She entered the course hoping she would become a children’s fantasy writer and left with a burning desire to write contemporary mysteries and thrillers. Heidi wanted to put relatable people in extraordinary situations, challenge them, push them to their limits and watch them fight for their sanity. The Other Boy is her first novel.

MY THOUGHTS -

This one started out strong. It caught my attention right away. There are a lot of emotions in this book, fear, sadness, hurt, hope, wonder, grief, and mostly anger. 

This was a pretty quick read, it was enjoyable, suspenseful at times, but also it was kind of slow at times. I did really want to find out the outcome so that kept me reading. I also liked that it was told from different view points. I do tend to like books like that.

The last 25% of the book really amped up. It was a much faster pace and kept my interest. I think I read the last quarter in one sitting.

I didn't really care for the two main characters, the mother and father, but I did appreciate that they never gave up trying to find out what happened to their son.

Great ending! Was it worth the read? YES, even if I thought it was a bit slow at times, it was enough to keep me reading. This was a first book for this author. I would probably give her another try.

I voluntarily posted this review after receiving a copy of this book from Rachel's Random Resources -  Thank You!!