Twenty Years a Stranger by Deborah Twelves – Review | Blog Tour

A gripping and compelling story of lies, secrets, betrayal and the ultimate revenge.

WHAT’S THE BOOK ABOUT

Is it possible for anyone to really know another person?

That is the question Grace King must ask herself when she receives an email informing her that the man she has been married to for the last twenty years is an accomplished con-man, leading multiple lives with at least four different women. Worse still, she learns he has children with these women, but Daniel always told Grace he didn’t want children…

In a split second, Grace’s world is torn apart. She is forced to face up to the fact that her marriage is a sham and the enviable lifestyle she enjoyed with Daniel was all based on lies and deceit. With Daniel suddenly threatening to go bankrupt, Grace decides to turn amateur detective in an attempt to salvage anything she can from her old life and avoid financial as well as emotional ruin, but can she cope with what she finds out?  

As increasingly disturbing secrets about Daniel emerge, events spiral out of control and Grace begins to see just how far he is prepared to go to protect those secrets. A dangerous game of cat and mouse ensues, but it is clear there can only ever be one winner. Pushed to breaking point, Grace is about to discover what she is truly capable of.

Everyone has choices and those choices always have consequences.

Based on true events, this compelling story is filled with twists and turns and sadness and laughter that will keep readers gripped until the very last moment.

Twenty Years a Stranger by Deborah Twelves – Review | Blog Tour

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

WHY YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK

Grace’s world comes crashing down when she receives an email informing her that her husband of twenty years, Daniel, is not who he claims to be. He is in a relationship with several women and has fathered children with at least two of them. However, when Grace had insisted on having children, he had vehemently denied starting a family.

What Grace does after learning this bitter truth and how she copes with her husband’s betrayal makes for a compelling read in the form of Twenty Years a Stranger. It is a gripping thriller from the start to finish.

The book offers the perspectives of several of the women Daniel dates or is in a relationship with, however, Grace is the central character. It also provides a glimpse into Daniel’s psyche. While the rest of the characters’ POVs are in the third person, Grace’s narrative is told in the first person. This results in a memoir-styled thriller.

This coupled with short chapters and a brisk pace helped me finish the book in a few days.

Though the cards are dealt with early in the book, it is the anticipation of whether Daniel will suffer the consequences of his actions that makes Twenty Years a Stranger a riveting read. The book shines a light on a pertinent yet often overlooked topic: gaslighting. It also highlights the untold damage done by psychopaths on the lives of unsuspecting people. Further, it also shows how such white-collar criminals take advantage of the loopholes in the legal system. What is more tragic is that the justice system lets them do so, thanks to red-tape and bureaucracy.

“Never confuse justice with law. Justice is an ideal, seldom attained by the tools of the law.”

Twenty Years a Stranger by Deborah Twelves

Fact is stranger than fiction. It’s hard to believe the book is based on real-life events, however, after finishing the book, I had no option but to believe that these deranged individuals do exist.

To top it all, the book has one hell of an ending.

Twenty Years a Stranger by Deborah Twelves is a well-written although harrowing psychological thriller shedding light on how a narcissist and/or a psychopath dangerously toys with the lives of innocent people.

Twenty Years a Stranger by Deborah Twelves

BOOK DETAILS

Genre: Thriller/Suspense || Pages: 348 || Published on 27th July 2020 by Fortis Publishing

Buy on Amazon.in || Amazon UK || Amazon US

The Amazon.in is an affiliate link. If you purchase from here, I will receive a very small commission at no extra cost to you.

Many thanks to Emma @ Damppebbles Book Tours for organizing this blog tour. Many thanks to the publisher for my copy of the book. This does not affect my opinion on the book. I opted to provide an honest review on my blog.

AUTHOR BIO

Deborah Twelves

Deborah Twelves was born in Sheffield, but raised in Ponteland, Northumberland. She studied French and Spanish at Edinburgh University and taught languages for some years while living in France, Spain and Northern Quebec. She now divides her time between her  home in Pwllheli, on the Llyn Peninsula of North Wales and her family home in Northumberland but often travels abroad. She has a black Labrador called Nala and a black Lusitano horse called Recurso (Ric), who take up a lot of her spare time, although yacht racing, which she began at an early age with her father, remains her great passion.

Deborah has written many articles for the sailing press over the years and Twenty Years a Stranger is her debut novel, based on true events in her life.

It is the first book in the Stranger Trilogy. The other two books, Ghost of a Stranger and The Boy Stranger will follow soon.

Author Link(s): Twitter || Facebook || Instagram

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