Don't Trust Her

By: Cathryn Grant

ISBN: 9781837562008

Publisher: Inkubator Books

Publication Date: 10/01/2023

Format: e-book

My Rating: 4 Stars(ARC)

OCT 2023 MUST-READ BOOKS

Parker had the perfect marriage. Then Eden came home.

Twenty years have passed since Dylan’s beloved sister, Celeste, was brutally murdered. Now he plans an anniversary memorial for the sister he misses to this day.

When their childhood friend, Eden, comes home to attend the memorial, Dylan invites her to stay with him and his wife, Parker.

But Parker is apprehensive. She remembers a time when Eden had designs on her husband, and she worries she still carries a torch for him. Her fears seem confirmed when Eden openly flirts with Dylan and captivates their pre-teen daughter.

As Parker desperately tries to hasten Eden’s departure, Dylan resists, fondly remembering the time they spent as childhood friends. And when Eden brings up questions about who murdered Celeste, Parker’s fears only escalate. She thinks her husband’s mental health could suffer if Eden keeps digging.

Can Parker get rid of Eden before she destroys her family? And why has Eden really come back to town? As the two old friends circle each other, past secrets are revealed and they find themselves hurtling into a vortex of unimaginable pain and terror.

Don’t Trust Her - the gripping psychological thriller from the best-selling author of The Other Couple and The Guest.

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My Review

Cathryn Grant returns following The Secret She Kept with her latest thriller, DON'T TRUST HER—a deliciously wicked twisted triangle when the past and present collide in a clever game of cat-and-mouse, leaving you guessing which is predator or prey?

It has been 20 years since Celeste was murdered while reading a book in her favorite spot in the woods. (this was me as a child, except the Walkman was not invented yet). While listening to her Walkman, she was unaware of the monster approaching behind her.

Celeste Campbell was nineteen and had finished her first year of college when a monster without a soul crept up behind her and smashed the back of her head with a rock. Her murder changed all their lives. Celeste was Dylan's older, wiser sister, who always said a friendship with a triangle could not last. The group thought she was just jealous—she was correct.

What if Celeste had not come home that summer, gone out to read by the creek that evening after dinner, or had not been listening to music with her headphones on? There were so many what-ifs.

Dylan has planned a 20th-anniversary memorial service for her and invited some of their childhood friends. He is married to Parker, and they have two children, Brianna and Maverick. Dylan never got over her death.

Dylan, Parker, and Eden were best friends years ago. Two friends after the same man, which tore their friendship apart. When Dylan invites Eden to stay with them at their house when in town, Parker is unhappy (livid). Eden planned to stay at a local B&B, but Dylan would not hear of it. They needed to catch up. Eden had lived in Milan for the past fifteen years and recently divorced.

There was also a creepy neighbor, Julian (veterinarian), who liked to keep tabs on the neighbors with his expensive pair of binoculars. He never married or found a life partner. He lived alone in his parent's house since their deaths. Who was initially a suspect but was cleared.

With Eden staying with them, Parker's life she thought was perfect until now. Parker is suspicious and jealous when Eden flirts with Dylan. She wants her gone from their home. Why would her husband invite Eden to stay with them without discussing with her first? How far will she go to protect their family? What are Eden's motives?

Alternating from then and now, we hear from POV: Eden, Parker, and Dylan. In the present, someone dies. Was it murder or an accident? Does it have any connection to the past? Did Julian know something about the murder years ago? Was he getting too close?

No one is what they seem. And the fates of these two women twist and turn until the shocking truth emerges. Often, the monsters are right in front of us.

Cathryn Grant weaves a twisted tale of love, revenge, trust, and betrayal. DON'T TRUST HER is a fast-paced domestic suspense that keeps you guessing until this toxic triangle drama ends. A diabolical cat-and-mouse thriller; however, who is the cat, and who is the mouse? For fans of author Hank Phillippi Ryan, Miranda Rijks, and Emily Shiner.

Thanks to #InkubatorBooks and #NetGalley for a complimentary ARC in exchange for an honest review.

@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks

My Rating: 4 Stars

Pub Date: Oct 1, 2023

October 2023 Must-Read Books

About the Author

Cathryn Grant’s fiction has appeared in Alfred Hitchcock and Ellery Queen Mystery Magazines, The Shroud Quarterly Journal, and been anthologized in The Best of Every Day Fiction and You, Me & A Bit of We. Her short story, “I Was Young Once”, received an honorable mention in the 2007 Zoetrope All-story Short Fiction contest.

Her psychological suspense fiction reveals the motives and desires that lead to suburban crime. She’s the author of two psychological thrillers, seven suburban noir novels, the Alexandra Mallory psychological suspense series, the Haunted Ship Trilogy, the Madison Keith Ghost Story series, and a variety of short fiction. She’s currently working on the twelfth Alexandra Mallory novel. (View the complete list here.

From the Author: When I’m not writing, I eavesdrop and read fiction. In the winter I curl up by the fire with a glass of wine, a bowl of popcorn, a novel, my husband, and our cat, Cleopatra. In the summer, I do the same, without the fire. I also try to play golf without hitting my ball in the sand or the water. WEBSITE