When Liv and her boyfriend, Jensen, move back into her family home, things seem ideal. Jensen is the perfect guest, virtually one of the family. Tensions soon begin to rise, and then Liv disappears. Jensen is circumspect about Liv's whereabouts, and no one can contact her.
One Of The Family by Jess Ryder had me completely gripped from the beginning. The author manages to include so many different threads within the story that the pace never lets up for a moment. Brilliant narration by Bronwen Price added to the rising level of trepidation as the plot unfurled.
The opening is fairly mundane, and one that many families must ponder: do you accept a stranger into your home? Rachel is happy for her daughter to move back home after finishing university. Liv has been living with her boyfriend while at university, so the family offers him a home too. Rachel's husband, Dom, is a little reluctant to welcome a stranger into their home, but Rachel points out that Jensen has no family of his own to help him.
Jensen's background is tragic, having lost his family in a house fire. Liv explains to her family that he doesn't like to talk about it. Rachel is sympathetic towards Jensen as she lost both her parents in a terrible accident. Tensions begin to rise when things start to go wrong for members of the family, with Rachel always jumping to Jensen's defense, ensuring that no one questions his actions.
Rachel's naive acceptance of everything Jensen did raised major problems with me; she was far too trusting and a bit of a doormat. I found myself shouting "red flag, red flag" repeatedly as the story progressed, and not just with situations involving Jensen. There are a number of minor story lines which eventually feed into the main plot, adding multiple layers to characters and events. After a terrifying series of events, things begin to clear, and we begin to understand the chilling motives behind the actions of some individuals. But even then, there is still a master manipulator at work.
One Of The Family by Jess Ryder is available in paperback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for a review copy.
Author Details
Jess Ryder is the pseudonym of Jan Page, author,
screenwriter, playwright and award-winning television producer. After spending
many years working in children’s television, she returned to writing novels and
has written nine psychological thrillers to date. These include the
e-bestseller The Ex Wife, which was adapted as a TV miniseries for Paramount
Plus. She lives in London with her husband.
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