Let´s talk first dates. Or better not. Even the fourth and fifth are not fine. Dating nowadays can turn in such a bad joke but still, not all dates are ending up as thrillers´ material. Hopefully.
First Date by Sue Watson is a book like no other I´ve read this year. It started so slowly paced and in a sugary romantic kind of way but ends in a terrific way.
Hannah is a social worker, still looking for the one, and with the help of a dating up she is ready for a start. There she meets Alex, a promising solicitor with whom she matches almost perfectly. A dream coming true so fast. However, there are a lot of red flags, a bit too obvious spread across the first part of the story - which involves Hannah´s blind love and desire to finally find a home and a family. Growing up in foster families she is longing for stability and a home nest. Alex, which also have a history of family dislocation, seems to be everything, until she start discovering shocking things about him. As for instance, that he is married - but in process of divorcing. Or, that he is literally following her day and night, including by poping-up ´by surprise´ in places where she was supposed to meet her co-workers and friends. And strange things are about to happen, like when she received beautiful roses with a card with threatening message attached.
Blindfolded by love, she gives him a chance, and another one, and another one. Until there is no way out of this and she runs away of the rented cottage in Devon, after he is revealed as the murderer of an innocent drunk bloke that flirted with her in a bar.
And he killed himself. But although there are so much lies in Alex´s lifestory, enough to make it into a perfect thriller story, the ending is terrific as, he is not the only one longing for Hannah´s attention. This time, is even more psychotic.
How hard was it to put down this read! I´ve hardly resisted the temptation of reading it without any break this weekend - blame the beautiful autumn days for the interruptions - and was happy for the bookish company. Although I was not always happy with the weaknesses of Hannah - after all, I have a completely different dating style and expectations - there is so much suspense to this book built slowly through a combination of story structure and characters development.
Rating: 3.5 stars
Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review
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