By: Paul Pilkington
ISBN: 9781503948471
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Publication Date: 11/3/2015
Format: Paperback
My Rating: 4 Stars
Fifteen years ago, Sam Becker’s sister was killed, a tragedy that haunts him to this day—particularly as his best friend, Marcus, was jailed for her murder.
Driving home from the bittersweet celebration of what would have been her thirtieth birthday, Sam is confronted with a terrifying scene, and has just moments to try to save four lives. In the aftermath of this chilling drama, he is hailed as a hero by the press—but to the investigating police, things do not add up. Sam finds himself drawn into a conspiracy of lies and organised crime that puts his own life in danger.
And to make matters worse, Marcus is out of prison, hoping for reconciliation and determined to clear his name. Sam is forced to confront his own dark past, but as the layers of deceit are peeled back, can he really trust anyone around him?
My Review
A special thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. British author, Paul Pilkington delivers a gripping and complex psycho-thriller, SOMEONE TO SAVE YOU —an intriguing suspense leaving your head spinning. As the novel opens, there is a teenage girl running. Sam Becker, a London based cardiothoracic surgeon is in his car on a trip to celebrate his sister’s birthday. He is trained and accustomed to dealing with emergency situations. However, nothing prepares him for this. The girl Allison, she says… clearly needs help. The teen comes out of no here. Near a railroad. No trains, yet. She says her mum needs help. They need help. He follows and sees a car next to a railroad. The car is locked. There are two young children in the back seat-a boy and girl about a year old in booster seats. The woman is handcuffed to the steering wheel. What the heck? A suicide attempt? Adrenaline kicking in, heart pounding, he reaches for the mobile, but he left it in the front seat of his car. There is no time to go back. He tries speaking with the woman pleading…you do not want to kill your children. A train could come any minute and tells her ---Allison would not want to see this. He gets a stone and starts hammering the window. The kids are crying. He is so close to the handle. He reaches for the handbrake. The wheels were jammed in between the tracks. He grabs the children, and Allison is screaming to help her mum. The train was coming in the distance. He could hear it. Where are the keys to the handcuffs? No answer. Where is Jessica? She was in the back. The boot. He is desperately trying to find the boot release lever. The train was bearing down. A tiny baby. All goes black. A murder. A crash. A train. A car. He is now in the hospital and his wife is asking him questions. An investigation. Why was he at the location of the crash? He says a teenage girl came out of nowhere and he followed her to the car next to the railway. She was desperate and needed his help. He was driving back from a family event in the Northwest. His sister’s birthday. She died when she was young. It was the anniversary of your thirtieth birthday. It was supposed to be a celebration. In the aftermath of this chilling drama, he is hailed as a hero by the press—but to the investigating police, things do not add up. There is a problem. Allison is missing. He does not want the publicity or the story to pick up his sister’s death –to have to relive. However, there is a leak. Someone is taunting him. Sick games. Fifteen years ago, Sam Becker’s sister was killed, a brutal rape and murder. A tragedy that haunts him to this day—his best friend Marcus, was jailed for her murder. Their mum and dad were finally trying to move on with their lives. He needed to see a PTSD counselor. A good Samaritan saves train crash family. No mention of his name. Soon Sam finds himself drawn into a conspiracy of lies and organized crime that puts his own life in danger. To further complicate, Marcus is out of prison, hoping for reconciliation and determined to clear his name. He could walk free. Marcus had never offered any explanation. He always protested his innocence, despite the overwhelming evidence against him. A camping trip in North Whales. Cathy had gone. Covered in Marcus’s DNA. Never found the murder weapon. She said they had been dating for months. He had written Sam as to his innocence. He does not want his parents to know this monster is out. Sam is forced to confront his own dark past, but as the layers of deceit are peeled back, can he really trust anyone around him? Who is this person terrorizing them? Sending emails and texts. Who would record and torture him, using his sister’s name? When nothing is as it appears. The railway track. The poor children strapped in. Creepy, mysterious. The woman in the car. Drowned girl. Drugs in a locker. A set up. A suicide or murder? The teenage girl. Black Wolves. A patient. Now Anna the wife has been kidnapped. A twisted intriguing multi-layered psycho-crime mystery, keeping you in suspense until the very end. Readers will love trying to put the pieces, lies, and secrets together --how it connects with Cathy’s murder. (I liked) My first book by Paul and look forward to reading more!
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About the Author
Paul Pilkington is a British writer from the North West of England. He is the author of the Emma Holden suspense mystery trilogy, the first of which, The One You Love (2011), was #1 in the Bookseller Official Fiction Heat Seekers Chart. The second in the series, The One You Fear (2013), was named as one of the Best Kindle Books of 2013 (UK Kindle Store Editor’s Choice). The final instalment, The One You Trust (2014), has helped the series to achieve over 2,000 five-star reviews on Amazon. He is also the author of Be Careful What You Hear (2015), a standalone mystery novella. Paul’s work has been translated into several languages, and his novels have been e-book bestsellers in a number of countries. He has sold over 300,000 e-books. Read More
