Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough

Single mom Louise has met a man. Sadly, after an evening's flirtation she discovers not only that he's married but that he's her new boss. Awkward! Embarrassed, Louise is determined that it go no further than the one kiss on the first night. After an unfortunate incident that involved hiding from his wife in the office bathroom, Louise stresses to David the two of them should be no more than boss and secretary. 

And so when she accidentally runs into the glamorous and surprisingly friendly Adele, even learning that she's David's wife doesn't deter Louise from becoming her friend. And the more she gets to know Adele, the more she gets to know a side of David that's quite different from the persona he displays in the office. As Louise is pulled further and further into relationships with both of the spouses, she is forced to decide where her loyalties actually lay. She's also forced to face the fact that either David or Adele - or both - are not quite what they seem. 

I've been quite a fan of Pinborough's work for quite some time now, readers. Some of you know this and some of you (hopefully more than the one I know about) have sought out her work.

If not, you probably will now.

Behind Her Eyes is poised to be Pinborough's real break into the US mainstream readership. I normally wouldn't say that, but it's clear from the marketing this one is getting that that's the expectation. And I'd be pleased as punch if that ended up being the case!

A love triangle, a tale of manipulation, and something more spoilery if I were to mention it, Behind Her Eyes is part psychological suspense and all Pinborough!

The story alternates between Louise and Adele, giving readers an opportunity to see both sides of their story. It also alternates timelines a bit, offering a then and now look at Adele. And as the story progresses it becomes more and more twisted, leaving the reader quite unsure who to trust in this narrative.

You may have noticed another part of the marketing for this one involves the hashtag #WTFthatending. So I'd gone into this one knowing something super messed up was in store. And I thought I'd figured it out. Nope! I was happily and partially wrong about the twist this one was taking, which of course I loved.

Pinborough is a master talent. Her writing is fun and snarky, twisted and manipulative, and oh, so freaking smart! Smartly plotted and smartly paced - grabbing the reader and pulling them along into stories that start off (in cases like this one) fairly innocently before becoming a dark rabbit hole of secrets and surprises.

I can't recommend this one highly enough. If you've read her, you'll not be disappointed. If you haven't discovered her, you'll (hopefully) become as big a fan as I am!

An added bonus on my end, I had the chance to listed to part of this one on audio and I have to say the narrators are wonderful! You can check out a sample of that audio here.

Rating: 5/5