The Puppet Master

This debut thriller from author Abigail Osborne was definitely a great one. It alternates between two main characters, Billie and Adam. Billie, clearly, has suffered in her life. Used to hiding herself away,making herself as small and as inoffensive as she possibly can. She's spent so many years perfecting this skill that when she meets Adam she runs. Doing all she can to keep her defences up and him away. Adam meets Billie and is immediately drawn to her. This woman who clearly has a story, and he wants to hear it. Not many people would keep on going back after having their advances rebuked so many times. But he persists, and gradually pokes a hole into her carefully constructed wall. The connection between them is obvious. The reason as to why is less so. The thread that connects them is spun so tightly into the story it will keep you guessing from the start. All is not as it appears to be, behind this, all of it, is a

truly revolting, vile disgusting excuse for a human being. The story itself flows well, moving from present to past and back again seamlessly. It is a slow burner this one, it's all about the tension and the build up to an extraordinary finale. It starts from page one and never lets up. The thing i found myself doing with this was trying to stop myself from skipping forward and peeking to relieve the tension. It is written by an author who is competent and confident in their storytelling abilities. Thank you to TBC on FB and the author for this ARC. Although this was an ARC, all thoughts and opinions in this review are entirely my own.