About the book
A wife, a mother, a killer.
One wrong decision, one terrifying night, leaves student Elizabeth with a stark choice – kill or be killed. And the consequences of that choice will shape her whole life.
Now a wife, a mother, and a lawyer, she must find a way to outrun her past, protect her family and live with her secret. But is it really possible to live a happy life with such a huge shadow cast by the past? And as it becomes clear that someone else knows her secret and is hunting her down, time is running out for Elizabeth to keep her family safe.
In the bestselling tradition of Clare Mackintosh and Jenny Blackhurst, Cynthia Clark has written a heart-stopping story about the choices we make and how far we’d go to protect our families. Even if it means deceiving the people we love most…
My Review:
Today is my stop on the blog tour for Cynthia Clark’s debut novel, If You Only Knew. This is not your normal mystery/suspense/thriller in that you know the “whodunnit” very early on in the novel. What the novel is based on, is the effects of Elizabeth keeping her secret. The effects on her, her family, and other families become very evident and overwhelming as the novel progresses.
What I liked about the novel was Elizabeth. This girl had been through hell, but still came to be a successful barrister (attorney), and loved her family dearly (despite her long hours at the office). Early in the novel, it was evident how strong Elizabeth was, and regardless of decisions made, I had nothing but respect for her character.
What did I hate about the novel? Her husband Miles. Hats off to Cynthia Clark’s characterization, but oh my God, what an ass!! This man had zero redeeming qualities. A busy surgeon himself, he constantly berated Elizabeth about her work hours when he himself would rush off at all hours having to return to the hospital. He wasn’t sexy, caring, affectionate, etc. He just ran out in the morning and showed up late at night. Then, despite his own shortcomings and mistakes, totally turned on Elizabeth when she attempted to trust him and open up.
Moving on, this was a gripping and exciting novel, despite already knowing what had happened and basically knowing how things would turn out. The way the author really made this novel stand apart from others was her well-developed characters (regardless of how uncomfortable it was reading about them), and the profound honesty regarding emotions and reactions to Elizabeth’s situation. I feel that knowing what happened in the beginning did affect my desire to keep turning the pages, however, I still found this an intriguing read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Aria for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
Available on NetGalley: http://bit.ly/2xWIl5R
Buy links:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2fnvZvH
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2xz8jeP
iBooks: http://apple.co/2xksqO0
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2wLIV19
About the author
Cynthia Clark was born and brought up in Malta, where she graduated in Communications and went to work for a daily newspaper. She has since lived in the US, where she worked as a writer in online business journals. She and her husband now live in Philadelphia with their twin daughters.
Follow Cynthia
Website: http://ariafiction.com/author/cynthia-clark
Twitter: @cynthiaNYC
Follow Aria
Website: www.ariafiction.com
Twitter: @aria_fiction
Facebook: @ariafiction
Instagram: @ariafiction
Dandelions Inspired 