The Perfect Son by Lauren North Blog Tour and Review!

THE BOOK

A disturbing and shocking debut novel of psychological suspense about a recently widowed mother, her young son, and the lengths she'll go to in order to keep him safe...

When Tess Clarke wakes up in the hospital the day after her son Jamie's eighth birthday, she's sure of these things: She's been stabbed, her son is missing, her brother-in-law and her grief counselor are involved, and no one is listening to her. A few months earlier, Tess's husband, Mark, died suddenly in a terrible accident. The only thing keeping her together is her young son, Jamie. As she and Jamie struggle to make sense of their new life without Mark, they find joy in brief moments of normalcy--walking to school, watching television together, going to the beach. Although some things may be difficult--like paying back a loan to Mark's increasingly impatient brother, Ian, and appeasing the grief counselor, Shelley, whom Tess's mother sent to check on her--Tess has Jamie, and that's what matters. But there in the hospital, confused and surrounded by doctors who won't listen, everything Tess has tried so hard to cling to begins to fall apart. If she wants to save her son, Tess must piece together what happened between Mark's death and Jamie's birthday, but the truth might just be too much for her to bear...

THE AUTHOR

Lauren writes psychological suspense novels that delve into the darker side of relationships and families. She has a lifelong passion for writing, reading, and all things books. Lauren’s love of psychological suspense has grown since childhood and her dark imagination of always wondering what’s the worst thing that could happen in every situation.

Lauren studied psychology before moving to London where she lived and worked for many years. She now lives with her family in the Suffolk countryside. Readers can follow Lauren on Twitter @Lauren_C_North and Facebook @LaurenNorthAuthor

The Review

The Perfect Son by Lauren North is a psychological thriller, my favorite genre, about a young woman whose husband was killed in an airplane crash. She lives alone with her son, and her grieving consumes her making her life unbearable. She feels that she is a bad mom because of it. She and her husband had moved to a remote town in a tranquil English town, her husband's deceased mom's home, it is isolated which does not help her to overcome her grief.

She wakes up in the hospital with a stab wound in her stomach and her son missing.

She has a grief counselor, Shelley who Tess befriends, who is there in the hospital with her. While in the hospital, Tess tries to piece together the events that led her to the hospital.

The story starts 1 day after Jamie's birthday. Jamie is Tess's son and we learn that Tess is in the hospital. Then we go to 55 days before Jamie's birthday. The book goes on in this vein, counting down the days before the fateful day that changes Tess's world. I found this way of telling the story interesting. I enjoyed the author's style and found the story suspenseful and sad at the same time. Sad because I could not imagine what Tess was going though, suspenseful because I kept turning the pages, finished the book in two sittings. To me, if an author can keep me in suspense and be surprised by the ending, then this is a good author! I really enjoyed the book! Keep writing Lauren!

I received a copy of the book for review purposes only