It’s been ages since I have read a Dorothy Koomson book, despite have ALL her back catalogue on my kindle, and having been invited to the launch party of Every Smile You Fake earlier this year, I finally managed to start this book.

This is the story of Kez, she is now a therapist and her previous role was as a criminal profiler. After a book event she returns to her car to find a baby in the backseat with a note asking her to take care of the baby. Almost immediately Kez realises she knows who the mother is. It’s Brandee (two E’s) a young women who lived with Kez and her family and is now missing.

Despite Brandee’s request to not coming looking for her, Kez is NOT someone who does what she’s told or expected to do. She will ALWAYS do what she thinks it the right thing regardless of her own safety.

The book has 2 main narrators; Kez who does NOT suffer fools gladly or take any sh*t and Brandee who is sharing her side of the story through Social Media and Videos.

It’s refreshing to find a female, middle-aged character who is strong, intelligent and likeable. Kez’s relationship with her husband Jeb displays her vulnerable side and her relationship with her step-son Moe and foster daughter Brandee show her compassion and unconditional love, but it’s her ability to read people that make her such a force to be reckoned with.

The story covers some very topical issues which I don’t want to give away, but needless to say it’s an original and twisty and clever story which I thoroughly enjoyed and definitely recommend.