With thanks to Netgalley and Hodder and Staunton for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

Take me is the second book I have read from Sabine Durrant. The synopsis explains perfectly what happens in the book. However the dynamic of Marcus and Tessa's marriage was another tantalising layer to the story.

Although it is briefly mentioned Tessa came from working class roots. Tessa's father was not mentioned but her mum would bring home lots of new boyfriends. After the birth of Josh she felt unattractive, but also she felt she did not fit in with her middle class friends. Marcus was mentally abused by his father and lacks confidence as an adult.

Unusually I did not like Tessa or Marcus but that did not stop me enjoying the story. Take Me In was wonderfully written laced with deceit and paranoia. I was on the edge of my seat waiting for what would happen next to Tessa and Marcus. The barely hidden menace around Dave made my spine tingle. I loved the description of the Dave, the stereotypical Working class brit aboard with his shaved head, muscles and tattoos on his back.

The cliff hanger was amazing but it was written in a confusing manner. It was not necessary because I would never have guessed the ending. I recommend this book but I think Sabine's last book was better.

I have read the last 2 of Sabine Durrant's novels before Take Me In and this one did not disappoint. I love the way she writes the psychological side of the novel as the main storyline as well as the "people" side of the characters. I'm not going to give any spoilers but you will enjoy this book. There is layer after layer in Take Me In, you will hold your breath, dislike characters at times, tell them to man up, stop being so selfish etc. and still not guess the ending. Twists and turns within the novel and the reader will experience the same. I thoroughly recommend this book.

Marcus and Tessa are on holiday with their three year old son, Josh. Marcus is exhausted, their marriage is somewhat strained and when he is left to keep an eye on Josh whilst his wife uses the toilets, he briefly drops off to sleep. He is awoken by screams due to the discovery of a limp boy in the water - Josh. Luckily a stranger, Dave Jepsom is on hand to save him. Tessa and Marcus are overcome with gratitude, but Marcus feels overcome by his inadequacies. Despite their better instincts they take Dave for a thank you meal, but suddenly they cannot seem to get him out of their lives.
Take Me In is nicely written. It generates a steady build-up of uncertainty and foreboding, creating a tense brooding and sinister atmosphere. There’s doubt throughout as to how much of the threat is real and how much is created by Marcus and Tessa’s own guilt, insecurities and indiscretions. There are clear pre-existing deep cracks in their marriage. They are not the most likeable characters, due to the extent of their flaws, but they do see their own short comings; their insight making them more human and relatable. This is nicely conveyed via the chapters which are narrated interchangeably by Tessa and Marcus. There are red herrings sewn in along the way, these become more noticeable as the story progresses, but the end offers a good twist that I had not expected.

Dark personalities, lies, deceit and unfaithfulness in this devastating psychological thriller

There is no justice or happy ending in this murky, psychological book. So, if you are not feeling strong, don’t read it. Sadly, the story is conceivable and that is how human nature is sometimes – dark – deceitful and unfaithful.

Marcus and Tessa go with their son, Josh, to Greece for a holiday. A stranger – Dave – saves Josh from drowning in the sea. Marcus, who never seems to be able to get on top of anything, is remorseful throughout the book that he never saved his son and that he never seems to be able to amount to anything. Dave appears to be a dark character who ‘stalks’ them as a family and gets blamed throughout the novel for most things that go wrong in their marriage.

But there are other dark, deceitful secrets in the lives of Marcus and Tessa. This is where Sabine Durrant excellently builds up the tension in the plot. As the pace of secrets and lies increases so does the intensity of the book.

Their lives are interesting; Marcus is a crisis manager who is not able to manage the crisis in his own life. Tessa is an author. They have a picture-perfect life but the underlying darkness is like a volcano needing to find a way to spew out its fiery secrets. They both narrate their stories and I found that extremely interesting because of the secrets going on in each of their lives and minds.

The astonishing ending and this book are definitely worth reading. I gave it 3 stars only because I would have liked to have seen some redemption somewhere in the book.

BonnieK

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

I loved this book.... the storyline starts instantly and the more you read the more you realise is happening! I couldn't wait to finish it.

The story is written from two points of view - Marcus and Tessa, it starts on holiday where their son almost drowns on the beach and a stranger saves him..... but that stranger wants to be in their lives from now on.

Both Marcus and Tessa are hiding their own secrets too and with all the pressure they are under they start to feel like someone is watching them.....but are they being watched?

I loved the way the story unfolded and I must admit I didn't see the ending coming and thought it was brilliant. Definitely a must read.

A compelling read - slightly spoilt by the ending which I had to read three times to appreciate what had happened.
Husband, Marcus and wife Tessa are not likeable characters;they have a 3 year old son ,Josh . Josh nearly drowns in the sea whilst father is dozing and mother is on the mobile to her boyfriend; josh is rescued by a by a bystander, Dave, a sinister character who works his way into the family's life. That is sufficient, don't want to spoil.

A chance meeting and an over-grateful gesture become something more sinister.
Who is Dave Jepsom? is he the good guy? Both Marcus and Tessa arent squeaky clean. They have skeletons in their closets they dont want to share. Tessa misses work, Marcus is so focused on himself and work their marriage is suffering. This book is a perfect example of when you try to juggle too many balls when one falls it can shatter everything.
A good intriguing read.

The description of this book intrigued me from the start. Tessa and Marcus find themselves at the centre of some unwanted attention after a stranger by the name of Dave Jepsom saved their son from drowning. Suddenly their lives are falling into freefall and Dave Jepsom seems to be the reason why.

The book was very fast moving and told from both Tessa and Marcus' point of view. Each were hiding things from each other and desperate to hold on to the highfalutin life they had built up over the years. Unfortunately this did not make them the most likeable of characters, especially when we realise the reasons why their son nearly drowned.

I was hooked by the book and was desperate to read on as I needed to find out Dave's motives and why he was so obsessed with this family. Some of the attacks that he carries out on the family are absolutely shocking and the picture I was building up in my head came to a very strange halt towards the end of the book.

Towards the end of the book it sped up intensely got a big difficult to follow. Obviously the big showdown that we had been expecting from the very beginning turned out to be shocker. However, I did predict the inevitable twist and felt very pleased with myself for once.

All in all a good read but confusing towards the end.

I really loved this book. It is very full of suspense and has a claustrophobic feeling of imminent tragedy. The world of Public Relations and it's workings makes for an interesting read. A normal couple on holiday and suddenly they are thrown into an undesirable relationship which has far reaching consequences.
I could not read this book quick enough, really well written.

OK, I finished reading this a couple of weeks ago, and I really enjoyed it. It's a tense and twisty psychological thriller about a young couple whose little boy is saved from drowning by a stranger whose arrival in their lives seems to trigger a gradual breakdown in the couples relationship and brings to the surface a whole bunch of untruths and secrets.

Its a real page turner and you never know quite who to trust and whom to fear.

I found the ending somewhat difficult to get my head around and am not sure whether I missed some vital element earlier or if it's meant to be a little enigmatic and keep you wondering - if so it did its job!

A mistake, a lapse of attention could have had a devastating outcome, was it not for the intervention of a stranger, Dave steps in and rescues the young boy and from that moment he becomes entangled in the lives of Tessa and Marcus, but it’s isn’t as it seems.
A fast paced, exciting and dark thriller, Sabine has done it again, keeping me reading into the night.

When Dave rescues their son from drowning, Marcus and Tess don't realise how he will then insidiously invade their lives. The psychological tension is kept taut throughout the book. Both Tess and Marcus have their secrets, and their dark side. As their lives start to unravel, you can only think that they partly have themselves to blame. An unexpected ending only adds to this gripping read.

I've read all of this author's books and loved them all so couldn't wait to get reading Take Me In. It's a 'stalker' psychological thriller and gripping from the start. Marcus and Tessa's son is rescued from the sea whilst on holiday in Greece by menacing Dave Jepsom who, it appears, wants to be in their life and debt after returning home to the UK. It seems he knows everything about them but they know nothing about him. But without giving too much away everything is not what it appears and so the twists and turns begin.
My only complaint is how it ended but I would still recommend as it's a great read.

Joss, the young son of Tessa and Marcus is saved from a terrible accident at the beach, when Dave Jepson (a stranger) helps them.
From this, a series of events occur which the couple believe Dave Jepson to be responsible for. Wherever they go he seems to be around stalking them, and they become fearful of the consequences.
Everything seems to be going wrong for the young middle class couple who appear to have it all. They blame everything on Jepson, and the writer explores the possibility that things are not always as they appear, sometimes we have to take responsibility for our own actions.
I found it difficult to find sympathy for either Marcus or Tessa as they both made mistakes, thinking of themselves rather than their partner or family. It is an intriguing story of what can happen as things go from bad to worse!
The book is fast paced, tension and drama accelerating as the story reaches an unexpected, dramatic climax. I could hardly put the book down until I discovered what the outcome would be. However, I feel that the story ended before the full outcome of the drama was told, and feel that there were several loose ends which needed tying up. For that reason I have awarded fewer points.

Sabine Durrant has created a tense drama around what could be the family living next door whose lives threaten to unravel following an incident on holiday. Cringe along with middle-class PR man Marcus, whose insecurities emerge as the plot unfolds and watch from the sidelines as his wife Tessa, once competent in the workplace, flounders in her attempts to be just a stay-at-home mum. This is the sort of book that you dread reading the next scene while, at the same time, you can't wait to turn the page. I would have liked an epilogue to have more time to adjust to the story's conclusion but otherwise a great read.

A compelling read with a great premise and some interesting twists.

Take Me In is well written and allows the reader to build up a sense of foreboding watching what is affecting the lives of Marcus, Tess and their son, Josh.

The story becomes tense and gripping when the family returns from holiday where a stranger, Dave Jepson, saves Josh’s life after the two parents appear absorbed in their own individual worlds, ignoring their son. It seems as if Dave Jepson is there all the time. Is he a danger or a Good Samaritan?

Their marriage is suffering and they both appear to be selfish and uninterested in each other. Another holiday, this time in Suffolk, is where the story unravels in a tense final few chapters.

A whole host of secrets, lies, a huge amount of deceit and misconceptions make this a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Recommended. Thanks to NetGalley, Hodder & Stoughton – Mulholland Books and Sabine Durrant for the ARC in return for my honest review.

Take Me In opens with a near tragedy, when Josh, the small son of Marcus and Tessa, wanders into the sea on holiday while his parents are distracted and almost drowns. He is saved by a bystander, Dave Jepsom. At first grateful, the parents become unsettled as Dave seems to work his way into their lives, even when the holiday is over. There is an air of menace and paranoia to the book that increases as the story progresses.

The book is split between the viewpoints of Marcus and Tessa, and gradually the reader realises that neither narrator is entirely trustworthy. Their lives seem to crumble around them as the spectre of their son’s rescuer looms, ever watchful.

It’s a gripping story, but for me a lot of the interest comes in the exploration of prejudice, class and masculinity that drives the narrative forwards.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for my review copy of this book.

This is a book described as a psychological thriller and it certainly focuses on the psychological effects of the events happening in the story. At first I felt that it was another story in the psychological genre but for me I felt it was more thought provoking. The main events were very similar to many other books, an affair, an accident, stalking. but this story made the reader more aware of the effects of these events on the main couple and it felt quite creepy. The twist at the very end was surprising. I enjoyed the book and recommend it.

I'm a huge Sabine Durrant fan but have to say that I was a little disappointed by this one. It started off so well with the rescue of Josh off the Greek coast but then seemed to go off the boil a little bit. I found all the main characters unlikeable which didn't bother me but I would have liked a little more development of the "who, what, when, where and why" parts of the plot. And the ending felt rushed. I had worked out the twist very early on so wasn't surprised when it came about, just a bit gutted that more wasn't made of that side of things! Beautifully written as always but not my favourite of her books.