Nina always wanted a child of her own. Now she has one.

Nina feels trapped. Her partner Gary is controlling, his daughter hates her, and she’s recently suffered a miscarriage.  Just as her life seems hopeless, Alex, the son she gave up for adoption nearly 20 years ago, shows up at her door. Somehow, he has tracked her down.

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Their reunion is everything Nina has hoped for. Now she has a child of her own, someone in the family who really cares about her.

But honeymoons are brief and this one is no exception. Far from welcoming him, Gary is hostile to Alex and as their arguments become increasingly vicious, it soon becomes clear that Nina must choose between them.

But how will the abusive Gary react if she rejects him?  And can she trust Alex?  Is he really the loving son he seems to be – or does he have a sinister agenda of his own?

My Review

First of all I must just say that I disliked Gary as much, if not more, than any vile character in any book I have read in recent years. He has no redeeming features whatsoever. Coercive men in novels are often handsome and charming and you don’t realise what they are up to until it’s too late. And no-one believes you, because outside of the home they are still handsome and charming.

But Gary is a lout, a yob. He’s an unattractive con man who owes everyone money. He goes to the pub often, drinks too much and slobbers in his sleep. I’ve owned dogs with more charm and finesse. His ex-wife Gemma is almost as bad, insulting Nina and screaming at both of them. She doesn’t know how Gary can bear to sleep with her. Well he slept with you didn’t he Gemma, so he’s not exactly discerning.

Quite why Nina ever got together with Gary is totally beyond me. And his daughter Chloe from his first marriage, who lives with them, is also vile. Then into Nina’s sad life (having recently had a miscarriage) walks Alex, the son she gave away at birth.

To be honest I found Nina a bit bonkers at times. The thoughts that go through her head are very melodramatic and she definitely has an overactive imagination. She still believes that she could rekindle her relationship with the love of her life (when she was fifteen) and the father of her beloved boy. But when things take a turn for the worse, nothing she ever imagined could be more sinister than the unfolding reality.

Nina is written brilliantly – I don’t think we are supposed to like her much – and so are the other characters. Each one is fleshed out with all their worst flaws and features laid out for everyone to see. And that’s what makes them so unlikeable. At times I wondered if there was a bit of the tongue-in-cheek about the book. It’s scary and very entertaining.

Many thanks to @ZooloosBT  for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the Author

Iain Maitland is the author of three previous psych thrillers for Inkubator Books: The
Soulmate, The Perfect Husband and The Girl Downstairs. Iain is also the author of two memoirs, Dear Michael, Love Dad, a book of letters written to his eldest son who experienced depression and anorexia, and (co- authored with Michael) Out Of The Madhouse. He has also written a semi-autobiographical novel, The Old Man, His Dog & Their Longest Journey.

He is an Ambassador for Stem4, the teenage mental health charity. He talks regularly about mental health issues in schools and colleges and workplaces. Find out more about Iain at http://www.iainmaitland.net and twitter.com/iainmaitland

Iain’s Links
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/iain.maitland.31
Twitter : http://www.twitter.com/iainmaitland
Website : http://www.iainmaitland.net

Book Links
Goodreads : https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/209313244-the-new-son
Buy Links : https://mybook.to/thenewson-zbt