The stories of Natalie and Helen Stratton, the DCI involved in the latest murder enquiry coincide and eventually connect! This is a great holiday read and certainly keeps you on your toes! Natalie and husband Ryan have an unpleasant reawakening when Natalie receives another anonymous letter through the letter box, the likes of which she’s not had for ten years. Her paranoia returns as do her black outs. Stratton is still looking for the body of her long lost sister and keeps her nose to the ground at any signs of a body being recovered with a butterfly tattoo. A new detective arrives on the scene in the form of Hugh Bradley, a fast tracker and he is to be partnered with Stratton. A body is found in the woods near Natalie’s home. Bradley and Stratton are on the case. Is Ryan involved? What happens when Natalie has her blackouts? Ooh excitement abounds as do quite a few red herrings! May be a little convoluted and contrived towards the end but a suitable conclusion and a good read! Much enjoyed.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I did enjoy this book and thought it was a great debut novel. I had a feeling who the bad guy was going to be fairly early on, although I started doubting myself at one point. It kept me engaged though and was an easy read.

A truly excellent début by S.M. Govett. I raced through the book , loving the plot(s) and characterisations. Told in two seperate POVs- each narrative very different from the other, showcasing the personality of each character brilliantly. The story was very credible and the twisty end was super. Will definitely look out for more works by this author.

Thank you NetGalley and the Publishers, Random House, for this ARC.

This was a great thriller about a woman living with PTSD following a traumatic event some time ago. As the anniversary of the event gets closer she is having blackouts and waking up outside of her house with no idea what’s happened. When her husband is accused of rape her whole world is turned upside down and she doesn’t know who to believe, as rape turns to murder can she trust her husband or even herself or is something darker going on here. A great edge of your seat read!

Thanks to Netgalley and Pengiuin Random House for the ARC of this book.
The book was fast paced and although I don't normally like books that switch POV every chapter I soon settled to that in this case as both characters were quite engaging. However, for me, this started to drag and at about 75% I nearly gave up totally but thought that having invested so much time in the book I would finish it
and ,given the ending, I am obviously glad I did.

Absolutely loved this book. I thought it was written really well, the story was excellent and I certainly didn’t see that twist coming! Had me hooked and on the edge of my seat to the end. 5⭐️

What an interesting story this is!

Natalie is traumatised following her rape by her employer 10 years ago. Now working from home, she has struggled to rebuild her life and her marriage has suffered. In the immediate aftermath of her rape, Natalie was bombarded with threatening letters from the wife of the man she accused – so much so that she was forced to take out a restraining order against her. All has been quiet. Except now, the threatening letters have started again, and Natalie has started to spiral. For a brief period following her rape, Natalie suffered kept blacking out and waking up somewhere else and not being able to remember what she had done during her black out. With the return of the letters comes the return on her blackouts.
Then, her husband Ryan is accused of raping his new assistant, Alice. Natalie doesn’t know what to believe – does she choose to believe her husbands accuser, or does she believe the man who has stood by her side for the last 10 years? This becomes a decision she doesn’t have to make when Alice’s body is discovered in the local woods…the woods where Ryan went for a run on the night Alice was killed, and the woods near where Natalie woke up from one of her blackouts on the same night.

Alongside this story is Helen, the detective who is investigating Alice’s murder. Helen has her own problems – her mother is struggling in a care home and her dementia is advancing quickly, at the same time, Helen is still trying to find out what happened to her older sister who went missing years before. Helen and her mother had reported her as missing and believed that she had been taken against her will, the police thought differently and believed that she was simply a runaway. Helen joined the police to make a difference, to help the people who feel that they aren’t believed, and her job appears to be being made harder by her boss assigning her to look after the newbie on the team. Bradley has not come through the usual channels; he hasn’t walked the beat and doesn’t have the same experience as the rest of the team as he is on the fast-track pathway and has been to University instead. He has a reputation of being “by the book”, while Helen understands that sometimes you need to operate outside the lines to get to the truth.

This is a slow burner of a book that immediately captured my interest. Natalie is a believable individual who has some flaws that the author doesn’t shy away from. I honestly didn’t know whether to believe or suspect Ryan myself. There are so many twists and turns that it will keep you guessing all the way almost to the end – literally one sentence reveals the truth, and it then becomes a race against the clock to ensure Natalie’s safety.

I loved this book – it gives ‘Gone Girl’ vibes as you are led to think one thing and then led to think something different a couple of chapters later. I will definitely be looking out for more from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, what an amazing debut. This is the perfect psychological drama that comes with plenty of twists to keep you guessing throughout. It’s extremely well written and continues to develop into a fantastic ending. It’s definitely worthy of 5 stars.

It's been almost 10 years since Natalie was assaulted by her boss and where the jury cleared him as innocent! She still struggles with day to day life with her supportive husband Ryan, but the threatening letters have started again. She slips back into blackouts and 'lost time', not knowing where she's been or what she's done! And to add to that Ryan has now been accused of rape. She wants to believe him, but why would the young girl say this if it wasn't true? But the following day the accuser is found dead and all evidence points to Ryan. Is he a rapist and a murderer?

This was an absolutely fantastic read and definitely an author I will look out for in the future. Honest and well written, with twists and turns, it certainly kept you on your toes as a Whodunnit!

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

This is a fantastic book! Intriguing and gripping, I couldn’t put it down, it was suspenseful and thrilling and the ending was brilliant. Loved it!

What an amazing debut for SM Govett! This book had two brilliant and very different female main characters. It had you wondering what was true and what wasn’t and an unexpected twist at the end! Dual POVs from Natalie Campbell and Helen Stratton which starts off before they know each other until how they are linked. Excellent book which had me hooked from the beginning!

All I can say is wow. This sounded so interesting initially and I am pleased to say it did not disappoint. The characters are really well written, the story is excellent and the twists just kept on coming which I loved.

Natalie was a victim of a rape 10 years ago. She has been left emotionally scarred and is trying to move on. Her husband Ryan has been accused of rape sending her into a tailspin.

The events that occur after the accusation come thick and fast. It literally did not slow down until the last word.

What an epic psychological thriller this this!!!! I finished it in one day, that's how much I loved it. Twists, turns, red herrings, it has it all. The ending ....... Just WOW.

S.M. Govett’s debut novel, Believe, is a masterclass in psychological suspense that kept me hooked from start to finish. The story follows Natalie, a deeply layered and complex protagonist trying to piece her life back together after being raped. But her journey is far from straightforward—she suffers from blackouts, losing chunks of time, while her unfaithful husband Ryan faces his dark accusations. When the victim of Ryan's alleged assault is found dead and Ryan himself becomes the next victim, the twists and turns escalate with breathtaking intensity.

The ability to create an atmosphere of doubt and tension is phenomenal. Just when I thought I had figured out who was behind the murders, another revelation would shatter my theories. The characters feel raw and real, and the way the author navigates themes of trauma, trust, and deception is gripping and deeply affecting.

If you love psychological thrillers that keep you guessing until the final page, Believe is a must-read. S.M. Govett has delivered a debut novel that is chilling, unpredictable, and utterly unforgettable. I can’t wait to see what they write next!

A gripping debut novel which had me hooked to a very amazing ending! Two strong female characters that tell their separate stories until a murder brings them together. Fantastic thriller. Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy

When Natalie's husband is accused of rape it triggers trauma from her past and starts off a brilliant storyline of who do you actually believe! A brilliant debut psychological thriller! I was hooked from the beginning to the end. Highly recommended.

Nothing prepared me for the excellence of this book.
Thrilling on an epic scale this chilling story weaves an intricate and terrifying journey that will leave you shocked to your core.
It is simply non-stop in delivering moments of jaw dropping storytelling with an ending so horrifyingly perfect it takes your breath away.
100% Highly recommended and without doubt worthy of 5 Stars.
Could this be the book of the year?
I believe it could be.
Perfect.

A fantastic debut novel. I thought the plot was really well written I couldn't put it down. I couldn't work out who's truth to believe.
Highly recommended.

I was lucky enough to receive this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This book was said to be a gripping psychological thriller, but it didn’t meet my expectations. This book follows Natalie Campbell who has had a traumatic past, her husband story becomes intertwined with a woman who has recently been found murdered, but who is the real killer? This story also follows a subplot going on for our detective. I found this storyline didn’t add much to the story and made it more confusing than anything. I wish it stuck solely to the main focus of the story without adding extra layers that weren’t needed. It was by no means a bad book, but it just didn’t grip me as much as I wanted it to. I wish the plot twists shocked me a bit more. Up until the 60/70% I was intrigued so that’s why I have rated it 3 stars!

A gripping read.
Well worth a five star review from me!
Thanks for the opportunity to read & review it.