Beneath the Shadows by Sara Foster

The only thing to do on a lazy and ick day is read. And a great book makes the perfect companion! It's so gloomy out I've had to turn on the lights to read by, but that's ok considering I'm the midst of a really dark reading binge and currently wrapping up Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl.

Last weekend it was Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes and just before starting Gone Girl, it was Sara Foster's US debut, Beneath the Shadows. I'll have to do a major genre switch up next to lighten the mood :)

Grace's husband, Adam, has disappeared. He took their daughter for a walk and never returned. Grace found her baby bundled in her stroller on their doorstep and immediately knew something was wrong. One year later, she's returned to where it all happened. Grace plans to deal with their shared home but also hopes to finally find some answers. The tiny, remote village of Roseby is closed off almost to the point of being claustrophobic. Could it be that the townspeople are keeping things from Grace?

I was quite impressed with this book. The plot is clever and kept me guessing pretty much to the end. Even when I'd figured out pieces of the story, I still wasn't entirely sure what was going on.

The atmosphere is wonderful as well. The remote location, the chilling winter storms, and a house unfamiliar to the main character and filled with strange sounds and drafts. Deliciously creepy! It brought to mind some of my favorite gothic tinged reads, appropriate considering Grace finds a copy of Rebecca in the cottage and is reading it in parts throughout the story.

Foster lives in Australia and is the author of two other titles, Come Back to Me and the upcoming Shallow Breath. If you're a fan of great psychological suspense, you'll definitely want to add Beneath the Shadows to your must read list. I'm hoping her two other titles will be available here soon as well.

I'm off to finish Gone Girl now. Hope your weekend is full of fabulous reads regardless of what your weather may be like! (I was out reading in the sun and lounging on a beach blanket while the dog chased squirrels last weekend. Today I've got the windows open and the lights on with bluegrass on the playlist and the pets to keep me company in bed!)