Blog Tour: The Face at the Window – Ruby Speechley*

They’re in your house.

They want your life.

And now, they have your baby.

To the world, I’m @HappyWife. Online, people only see my picture-perfect home, my handsome husband, Nick, and my beautiful baby, Thomas.

They don’t see the real Gemma Adams. They don’t see my past, the dark secrets I’m hiding in my marriage. They don’t see the fear I live in every single day.

But I know someone is watching me. And now, they’ve taken Thomas.

I just don’t know why.

But I’m going to stop at nothing to get my baby back.

Even if it destroys everything I’ve got to find him.

A compelling thriller, packed with suspense – fans of K.L. Slater and Lisa Jewell won’t be able to put it down.

Ruby Speechley is the author of four psychological thrillers published by Hera Books. She loves writing about domestic situations with plenty of twists and secrets.

She was born in Portugal but has lived in the UK since she was three months old. She now lives in Cheshire with her husband and two of her three children and two dogs. She has an older son and grandson.

You can contact her on Twitter: @rubyspeechley

My thoughts: from the blurb this looked like it was going to be a creepy thriller but instead it’s about coercive control, abuse of power and a kidnapping that helps bring the above abuse to light.

Gemma is unhappily married to Nick, more than twice her age (although he lies about that) with a newborn son – Thomas. But Nick is leading a double life and treats Gemma appallingly. Slowly all his secrets are revealed after Thomas is kidnapped by two young women.

Domestic abuse isn’t just about the physical violence but can also be control, manipulation and gaslighting. Nick uses all of these on women – not just his wife. The way the past is slowly unpacked, through the voices of Gemma and Scarlett, and you learn just what kind of awful man Nick is, is skillfully done. It would be easy to make him an out and out villain but by making you wait to see the depth of his evil ways means you empathise with him as a father of a missing child but by the end you’re no longer remotely sorry for him.

Gemma is the clear victim here – manipulated and controlled from the moment they met – terrified of angering him. She can’t save herself and in a strange twist of fate, it’s the last person you might expect who raises the alarm.

A clever, enjoyable and thought provoking read.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.