A young mother befriends a new neighbour—but soon finds her an unwelcome presence, in this psychological thriller with a powerful twist.
Sharni and her husband have just moved into 24 The Pines, and they appear to be ideal new neighbours to Clare and Chris. Sharni seems especially fond of Clare. She admires her and is always there to help, especially with childcare for Clare’s two-year-old son.
But Clare is starting to wonder whether Sharni just wants to be a good neighbour—or wants something more. Like Clare’s husband. Or her child. Or her life. And her anxiety starts to build every time Sharni comes near.
Is she just being overprotective, or are her worries justified? As Sharni’s influence touches everyone around her, Clare finds herself fighting for both her sanity and her family . . .
I loved Lynda Renham’s previous books which have been humorous women’s fiction so I was rather surprised, and incredibly intrigued, to find out that she had written Remember Me which is a psychological thriller! I loved the cover when I first saw it so I was very keen, but ever so slightly cautious, to start reading. Would Lynda be able to make a successful move over to the dark side? Well, I’m pleased to tell you that not only does she manage it very well indeed, this is also the book to pull me kicking and screaming from the reading slump I’ve been suffering from recently! It is BRILLIANT and I think Lynda has now found her niche in the very busy psychological suspense market, and I hope she stays there for the foreseeable future!
I think we have all met women like Sharni before, someone who seems to admire other women but shows it in a rather unorthodox way. Having moved in next door to Clare and Chris, with her husband Tom, Sharni starts showing an unhealthy interest in Clare’s life and starts copying her clothes, her home furnishings but worst of all trying to steal the affections of Clare’s son, Ben. Clare does have some sympathy for her new friend but when Sharni seems to be making moves on Chris, she decides its time to back off. But is it already too late?
This book really did have it all for me. It had the shocks and surprises, the twists, the unreliable narrator, the woman in peril, the unknown narrator and I loved every single page of it! I especially loved the “Single, White, Female” feel to it that built up to a powerful and dramatic finale. The way the plot gradually unfolded was so believable as Sharni gradually infiltrated Clare’s family, friends and workplace. Honestly, I just couldn’t put this book down! I have always loved Lynda’s writing style so it was wonderful to see that it translated well to a different genre for her. More please!
Lynda Renham is author to many popular romantic comedy and gripping psychological thriller novels. She lives in Oxford, UK. She has appeared on BBC radio discussion programs and is a prolific blogger, Twitter and when not writing can usually be found wasting her time on Facebook.
Lynda lives in Oxfordshire with her second husband and cat. Her web page: http://www.renham.co.uk and Twitter: @lyndarenham
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