It's really fitting to find myself posting my review of The Babysitter on the hottest day of the year, as the book is an absolute scorcher. The dead body of Caroline Harvey is found when she was babysitting for old friends, and the baby Eve is nowhere to be found. Hundreds of miles away Siobhan Dillon is trying to enjoy a family holiday despite being aware of her husband's latest mistress - Caroline, when the French police come to the villa and arrest Callum for her murder. Siobhan and the rest of the family are shocked, Callum had been acting strange on the plane over, but is he really capable of murder?

As soon as I started the first few chapters of this book, I was totally engrossed. Each chapter keeps you wanting more. The Babysitter is an intense and engaging character drama.; It’s hard to look away, like watching a car crash, as you turn the pages waiting to find out the truth who murdered Caroline and why did they take baby Eve?

Superbly plotted with enough red-herrings to ensure that the reader is never quite sure what really happened. A myriad of surrounding cast were great characters, multi-dimensional and full of depth. I kept changing my mind over who to trust and who not to as the author led me along numerous wrong turns.

The pace is a brisk one, one where the tension never lets up. What starts seemingly as an innocuous family drama, soon into something that is dark, chilling and quite intoxicating. A creepy read with a cleverly woven plot that tells of lies, secrets and will leave the reader gasping at the final reveal. I can't wait to read more from Phoebe Morgan.

Believe it or not, this is my first book by Phoebe Morgan, though I have had The Doll House on my radar for a while. I'm delighted to have rectified this and I thoroughly enjoyed The Babysitter, an engrossing tale of mystery, duplicity and suspense.

The book is narrated from multiple viewpoints, across two timescales. Caroline Harvey is a lonely young woman who has been asked by her friend Jenny Grant to babysit her daughter Eve, so that Jenny and husband Rick can visit his ill and elderly mother. Siobhan Dillon, her husband Callum, daughter Emma, and sister Maria are travelling to southern France for a relaxing break, staying at Maria's lovely, luxurious holiday villa. But when Caroline is found having been stabbed, with no sign of baby Eve, the police go knocking on Maria's door in France, looking for Callum. So where is Eve and what exactly took place that terrible evening?

Phoebe Morgan has a very appealing style of writing and the characters she created though not remotely likeable, were very believable, giving me a great sense of apprehensiveness and foreboding. I liked the fluidity between past and present and I found The Babysitter very readable, the various unfolding of events and revelations making this book very gripping. The story-line was absolutely fantastic and the suspense was kept at a maximum level as was the pacing. In this tense tale of betrayal, wrongdoing, jealousy and revenge, Phoebe Morgan wrapped everything up very neatly in with a great big bow in a thrilling, though not totally unexpected ending which was rather satisfying.

This was an absolute pleasure to read and even if the plot had been less stimulating I would have devoured these pages with equal gusto and enthusiasm. I’ll certainly be looking out for more from Phoebe Morgan!

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request, from HQ via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion. Thank you also to Pigeonhole and Phoebe Morgan for the opportunity to read this book!

I love a book filled with secrets and The Babysitter is absolutely bursting at the seams with them. There's a murder, a missing child and more secrets than you can shake a stick at, making this such a gripping and addictive book that you won't want to put down for a second. I even felt like I didn't want to blink in case I missed something.

Ipswich is left reeling when Caroline Harvey is found dead in her apartment with no sign of her friend's baby who she was looking after. The parents of the missing child give local TV executive Callum Dillon's name to the police and he becomes their prime suspect. Callum is on holiday in France with his family when the police turn up to arrest him and take him back to Ipswich for questioning. Everything points to Callum murdering Caroline then calmly jetting off on holiday, but why did he do it and what happened to the baby?

With flashbacks to before the murder and present day, The Babysitter sets a blistering pace that ensures the reader will be turning the pages as fast as possible until all of its dark and delicious secrets are revealed. There are some amazing heart-stopping moments that left me breathless and gasping with shock but my eyes insisted on greedily devouring every single word without giving me the chance to pause.

I love the mixed media that Phoebe Morgan has included in her story; the police interview transcripts and tweets really give an extra dimension to the story making it feel very realistic. Weirdly, I wasn't that keen on the characters but I think that's kind of the point: Callum is completely detestable and Siobhan just likes to bury her head in the sand to avoid problems with her husband and daughter. Caroline's story is perhaps the saddest one I have ever read and I was surprised how empathetic I felt towards her.

The Babysitter is incredibly gripping and addictive with such a clever jaw-dropping plot that you won't be able to put it down once you pick it up. Make sure you clear your schedule and find a nice quiet place to read as you won't want to be disturbed once you start The Babysitter.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

Well in lockdown times, every day can feel like a Saturday, so having mixed up my days here's yesterday's review, today!

And what a way to end the month, yet another pacey tale of secrets, lies and disfunctional relationships. Started it on the sun lounger, finished it deep in the night in bed, hard to put down.

A fast read with short chapters telling the story from multiple perspectives, which worked really well. The police interview techniques were really quite uncomfortable & clever.

I guessed the murderer, but having said that still hadn't worked out the extra twists in this very enjoyable novel.

I just couldn't put this one down! My attention was held throughout this psychological thriller. In no time at all I had devoured the lies, secrets and twists this book provides, and I loved it.

Having never read anything before from Phoebe Morgan I wasn't sure about the writing style. However, I shall be looking at more from this author.

Great characters, brilliant plot and although a small cast of suspects, I was still kept guessing and the book remained unpredictable.

Highly recommended!

I have been a fan of Phoebe's work for a fair while now. In fact I have been a fan of hers, ever since I had the good fortune to pick up a copy of her first book. Since then I have read and loved each and every book that she has released to date. I read the synopsis for 'The Babysitter' and it certainly sounded like another amazing read from Phoebe. I started reading as soon I managed to get my hands on a copy of the book. Oh wowzers, 'The Babysitter' was another amazing book and I enjoyed every single minute of it, but more about that in a bit.
I have to be honest and say that I didn't really take to any of the characters. I just got the impression that each character wasn't exactly being truthful and each seemed to be hiding something. That could just be my suspicious and paranoid nature. Not taking to the characters isn't necessarily such a bad thing though because it meant that I didn't favour one over the other and I could remain impartial.
It didn't take me long at all to get into 'The Babysitter'. In fact as soon as I started to read that was it. I found it increasingly difficult to put the book to one side for any length of time. To say that I became addicted to this book is a huge understatement. I felt as if the book had developed a hold over me and it was a hold that I wasn't willing to break. My Kindle wasn't exactly glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it travelled everywhere with me. I just had to know who was hiding what and why. The pages turned over at a fast pace and I seemed to charge through the story. 'The Babysitter' had me gripped throughout and I was on the edge of my seat throughout the story.
'The Babysitter' is extremely well written but then I think that to be true of all of Phoebe's books. She has a way of grabbing your attention from the start and then she keeps that attention until you have closed the back cover of the book. For me, the story was perfectly paced. The story started with a bang, hit the ground running and maintained a fairly fast pace throughout. I loved the ease with which Phoebe can weave twists and turns into the story. I didn't see the majority of the twists and turns coming and on occasion I was left feeling as though I had been slapped across the face with a wet fish. I really did feel as though I was part of the story myself and that's thanks to Phoebe's fantastic storytelling.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'The Babysitter' and I would recommend this book to other readers. I will definitely be reading more of Phoebe's work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

This story swaps between each character over the chapters and I loved how after each one is made you want more. I really enjoyed the police interview sections and how they can really make anyone look guilty. The chapters were short and made it easier to read and really get into the story. At one point I suspected every character of Caroline’s murder, the question was where was baby Eve?
I’m very keen to pick up more by this author now after reading this brilliant book.

When will men ever learn to keep it in their pants? No good will ever come of it but for Callum it makes him a murder suspect.

This book starts with the Dillon family on holiday in France. Siobhan, Callum and daughter Emma staying with Maria the sister in law and the police turning up early in the morning to arrest Callum. I have to say I pretty much thought he deserved it as the man was a big fat douchebag but was he capable of murder?

Switching narrators and timelines, we learn Caroline, who Callum had been having an affair with, is found murdered in Ipswich and the baby she was looking after is missing. Making this not just a classic whodunnit but giving you an extra mystery to solve. Great for all you armchair detectives out there. You will have a list of suspects and it will change frequently. I really liked the inclusion of the media picking apart the family like a starving man at an all you can eat buffet.

Adding to this you also get occasional insights into the police investigation and some Scooby Doo clues to help you try and figure it out. I didn’t but I’m notoriously bad and would make a terrible detective. But how rubbish would it be if you figured it out all the time! This has a good pace throughout and characters that are realistic in that some you will like and some you won’t.

Plenty of twists and turns and very clever writing ensures you won’t figure it out until the very end.

My thanks to HQ for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Babysitter’ by Phoebe Morgan in exchange for an honest review.

This is a twisty domestic noir/police procedural that moves between various characters’ points of view as well as before, after and during the murder at its heart.

When the police discover the body of Caroline Harvey, she is draped over a cot and they are shocked to find that the baby she was looking after is missing.

Siobhan Dillon, her husband, Callum, and sixteen-year old daughter, Emma, are on holiday at her sister’s luxurious villa in France. Then Callum is arrested by French police on suspicion of Caroline’s murder. Clearly Callum has been a naughty boy.
 
A frantic search for Baby Eve ensues and Siobhan finds that her perfect family is being torn apart not only by the media and public outrage but by these revelations. While the police conduct their investigation into the murder, the events of the night of Caroline’s murder are slowly revealed to us.

Frankly Siobhan, Callum, and Caroline are all pretty unlikeable characters with Callum being especially vile. Caroline’s extreme neediness was frustrating. I wanted to tell her to buck up - though it’s far too late for her. Daughter Emma was an angsty teen, who hero worships her Daddy while Mum is perceived as only doing wrong. Poor Siobhan.

For me the only sympathetic characters were the police: DCI Gillian McVey, who has to deal with a lot of obstruction from the Dillon family, and the sweet DS Alex Wildy.

Due to the bouncing about between characters and time frames, it is important to pay attention to chapter headings. I have become used to this popular trend so likely would be shocked by a linear, one perspective narrative.

So yes, ‘The Babysitter’ proved an entertaining thriller that provided plenty of suspects and surprises before its final pages.

A whodunit that will keep you guessing until the very end!

This novel is told from several viewpoints, all the characters are well-drawn and I was immediately intrigued as it becomes clear they all have their own secrets.

I loved the contrasting settings of a French villa and Ipswich a town I live not too far from so I am very familiar with it.

It just missed out on 5⭐ because I felt it dragged slightly in the middle (but that might just be me being super picky!) and it certainly regains it's momentum as the twists reveal themselves towards the end.

Overall, this brilliant plotted, tense psychological thriller is a must-read for all whodunit fans. This is my first Phoebe Morgan book but I shall definitely be hunting down the back catalog.

Thanks to HQ Stories & NetGalley for sending me this in exchange for an open and honest review.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

A fantastic novel that had me hooked all the way through. Very tense in places. Couldn’t put it down.

It’s mid-August and Siobhan Dillon, 44, and her husband, Callum, their 16-year-old daughter, Emma, and Siobhan’s older sister, Maria Wilcox, are staying in Maria’s holiday villa in a tiny village called Saint Juillet on the north-west coast of France.

On the third morning of their holiday, French police arrive to arrest Callum, a TV executive and local celebrity in Ipswich, for the murder of a woman called Caroline Harvey. He denies murder but admits to having had an affair with Caroline for the last 18 months and claims they recently finished their relationship.

Caroline, 33, an illustrator, was stabbed to death in her own flat while looking after her university friend’s one-year-old daughter, Eve, who is still missing. Eve’s parents, Jenny and Rick Grant, are devastated by her disappearance, which occurred while they were visiting Rick’s mother in the Norfolk and Norwich hospital after a recent heart attack.

As the French and English police struggle to coordinate their investigations and put all the evidence together, we’re left wondering who did kill Caroline and if baby Eve is dead too.

Told from several viewpoints, including that of Siobhan, Caroline, Detective Sergeant Alex Wildy (Ipswich police), and junior French police officer, Adele, as well as others, we build up a picture of the characters and it’s fascinating to see how unpleasant and dysfunctional they are!

I liked that the book was set in Ipswich, a town that I’m very familiar with, and it was a good contrast to the hot and idyllic-sounding French location of Saint Juillet.

The storyline was tense, well paced and cleverly plotted and I kept changing my mind about who had committed Caroline’s murder and taken the baby and why! There were some good red herrings and misdirection as the pieces of the puzzle were slowly put together. I did guess nearer the end who was responsible but that was only through a process of elimination and from spotting a few clues!

Overall, I really enjoyed this brilliantly twisty and intriguing read; it was engaging and entertaining and a perfect summer thriller. I’ve already read and enjoyed The Girl Next Door and must read the author’s debut novel, The Doll House, which I already own.

This is an easy to read domestic, psychological thriller.
The story opens with a man on holiday with his family being arrested after a woman back in England is found stabbed and the baby she was looking after is missing. The story unfolds using different character points of view and past and present narratives as they try to find out what happened that night.
After a good opening, I felt it dragged a little in the middle but picked up again by the end.

After previously reading and enjoying this authors other books I was really looking forward to diving into a new one!

This was such an enjoyable psychological thriller, so well written like the previous books and offering up plenty of twists and turns to keep your mind guessing all the way through until a brilliantly delivered twist at the end.

This was such an easy read for me because it just ticked all my boxes , for any fans of a good thriller that will get your mind working I would highly recommend this one , and her previous books too!

Thank you to the Publisher at HQ for my Kindle copy

This is the first book that I have read by this author and it certainly won’t be my last. I absolutely loved this psychological thriller which was full of suspense and intrigue. Right from the first page I was hooked on the story. This book wAs a gripping read and one which I highly recommend.

After reading Phoebe Morgan’s previous books I have become a firm fan and was very excited about this release.
Caroline is found murdered and the baby she was watching has disappeared. Prime suspect is Callum who had been having an affair with her. Callum and his family have just arrived in France on holiday when the police call to arrest him. Wife, Siobhan, daughter Emma and sister-in-law Maria are astounded and return home under pressure from people demanding answers. It soon becomes clear that everyone has their own secrets, some are just more deadly than others.

The story is told from several viewpoints, which I like as you get to see things from different perspectives and points of view, makes it quite exciting. You also get to know what happened in the run up to her death as well as the aftermath. There are clues as you read through, but you only get an inkling of what really happened – the twists in this were unexpected.

I was adamant I knew who had killed Caroline and what had happened to the baby, but I did keep changing my mind throughout.

The book is very well written and nicely paced, you don’t feel as though it is being rushed nor goes too slow. Phoebe Morgan has a great writing style, with stories that thrill and keep you hooked from start to finish.

I highly recommend The Babysitter for fans of thrilling, dramatic reads.

After reading The Girl Next Door by Phoebe Morgan, I was so excited to read her latest thriller. The story line was quick paced and thoroughly enjoyable throughout. There’s always has to be a character that you are rooting for in a book, in my opinion. And that person was Siobhan. I really felt for her through o it this book. The twist sadly didn’t shock me. I did figure it out quite early on however, this did not tarnish the book in any way. I still enjoyed the journey and loved the writing. I hope to read Phoebe’s next book ince released.

Caroline Harvey has been murdered and the baby she was watching has disappeared. The prime suspect is Callum, a tv executive who was having an affair with Caroline. The Dillions are in France on holiday when they arrest Callum. His wife, Siobhan, daughter Emmaand sister-in-law Maria are left wondering who Caroline was. It soon becomes clear that everyone has their own secrets.

This story is told from multiple points of view. It also switches from before and after the then crime took place. There's several twists and clues to spot along the way. Thenstory focuses on: fidelity, lonliness, family and loyalty. The characters are well rounded and believable. Thenpace is steady and I was drawn into the story straight away. I kept changing my mind about who had killed Caroline. But eventually, I got it right. I throughly enjoyed this book.

I would like to thank NetGalley, HQ and the author Phoebe Morgan for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Everyone has a secret, but who is hiding the worst kind of all? Secrets and lies wind there way around a murder mystery and the frantic search for a missing child.

The drama in this thriller expertly blends different viewpoints of the victim and the possible guilty parties in a sublime way. With shifting time periods in the run-up to Caroline’s death and the events afterwards, this story really holds your attention as you try to piece the mystery together.

I thought the small addition of the comments scattered from social media were an excellent idea, making the dire situation seem even more real as this is exactly how tragic events play out in real life with keyboard warriors jumping on any type of tragedy.

The Babysitter is tense and thrilling, I loved it! I will definitely track down Morgan’s other titles on the strength of this work.

Family secrets, lies and betrayals are rife in The Babysitter; I struggled to put it down!

I did think a couple of times that I almost had this figured out, with the exception of missing baby Eve. I thought I had the murderer all figured out, I just couldn't figure out what had happened to the baby!

Told between the perspectives of Siobhan and the police and Caroline on the night of her murder, The Babysitter had me gripped. It's a very easy read with short chapters and the multiple perspectives were enjoyable. The character and plot development are well paced and with enough twists and turns to throw the reader off but still provide a surprise ending that sewed the events together; a shocking but satisfying ending that I didn't see coming!

I'd definitely recommend The Babysitter; see if you can figure out the truth behind Caroline's murder and the disappearance of baby Eve! I guarantee you'll never guess!

Thank you to NetGalley, Phoebe Morgan and HQ for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.