When I finished work to go on maternity leave I ended up bed bound for the last few weeks of the pregnancy due to the baby threatening to come too early. Whilst I was laid up in bed there was only so much daytime TV I could stand before I felt my brain turning into soup. Luckily for me my grandma came to my rescue with a bag of books. After a glance over the books I decided to read this one first as I have a dark side that pulls me towards books that scare me. A morbid interest in anything sadistic. I can't understand why people do things that they do but I am drawn to read about it and then pass them on to another unsuspecting reader who will have the same thoughts as me until they come across a book that stirs even more emotions.

Now this probably wasn't the best book to read when your bed bound as I must be honest I did have the occasional nightmare after I finished reading it. I found myself huddling up to my partner to make myself feel better when I woke up in the night. The book is a gripping thriller that will keep your attention from start to finish, the unexpected twists and turns make it difficult to put down. I kept finding myself saying 'just one more chapter' until I had read the whole book in the space of two days.

===== The plot =====

A brief description of what happens as not to ruin the book for any willing book worms out there - Suzanne Perry is having vivid nightmares that someone is in her bedroom with her. She can't move and is relieved to wake up in the morning to find herself in her own bedroom, unharmed. However it soon becomes apparent that she wasn't alone all night, in fact someone was in her room but how did they get in, what does he want and will he return. The only sign that he was even there is a chilling Polaroid photo taken of Suzanne whilst she slept with the disturbing message of 'I'm watching over you' written on it. This thought alone is enough to make a heavily pregnant bed bound woman slightly concerned. I kept glancing at my wardrobe in fear that someone would slide open the door and come out.

As well as Suzanne's traumas there is also a serial murderer on the loose, a sexual sadist that mutilates young women to a state of being unrecognisable. Young women have been going missing, some turning up brutally murdered other disappearing completely. It falls on DI Phil Brennan and his crack pot team of detectives to find this sadistic killer, what links the girls and who can be trusted? Will the missing women be found in time and where are they? So many unanswered questions and so little evidence to work with.

As well as the main plot about the murderer and the missing girls you also have side stories regarding the characters. A more personal insight into their lives and what makes them tick. This book mostly shows you a glimpse into the life of Phil and his partner Marina, how this young family who seem to click like two pieces of a jigsaw to the outside world really don't fit together that well at all. Can they work out their differences for the sake of their daughter? Or will work block any chances they have at reconciliation?

=== My Opinion=====

I must admit I found this book absolutely gripping. It was a good easy read that kept me entertained for hours without me realising. Each chapter brought to light another glimpse into what the outcome might be. This changed constantly and you could never say for certain that you knew what was going to happen.

What I liked most about the book is that some of the chapters were written from the characters point of view. The chapters I found the most gripping were when Tania wrote from the killer's point of view (The Creeper). I find it a brilliant skill when a writer writes from the point of view of a murderer so convincingly that you start to feel some sort of empathy towards someone that you would usually class as almost non human.

This book is defiantly worth a read if you enjoy crime thrillers that have twists in every chapter. The only negatives are that it didn't feel long enough and that there is a book that was released before this one. If I had know how good this book was going to be I would of read them in order so I could have a better understanding about the characters as it is obvious as you read that there is history that you have missed by skipping to book 2. I plan to read 'The Surrogate' next as I enjoyed this book so immensely. I would highly recommend this book to anyone - a brilliant read.