A review by elvang
Don't Look Behind You by Mel Sherratt

4.0

Carla Gregory is a domestic violence survivor and now counsellor at a women's shelter for other victims of domestic abuse. Her husband Ryan has just been released from prison after many years and she can't shake the feeling she is being watched.

Tanya is routinely beaten by her husband Vic yet she refuses to move into a local women's shelter. Carla has tried to counsel Tanya about the risk she is taking returning to a man with a history of violence yet she is drawn back to her life with Vic.

DI Eden Berrisford and her team of detectives have their hands full trying to catch a rapist who is assaulting women in the Stockleigh area. The police have few clues to work with and worry that the level of violence is escalating with each attack.

I like how the author followed these three women as events unfold in this action filled novel. The story's focus on domestic violence and random acts of violence towards women walking alone at night is handled with chilling effectiveness. Berrisford and her team are up to the challenge but the DI's efforts are hampered by an assailant skilled in hiding his identity and home life challenges of her own.

This is an addictive read. As each woman finds herself with only a few blocks to walk or a quick shortcut to take to get home the tension builds because the reader knows someone is lurking in the shadows. There was a point in the novel when I thought the violence of multiple attacks felt gratuitous but it did make for a compelling read when you compared these assaults with the stories of domestic violence, many equally as random and violent.

A page turner to be sure and a series I look forward to following.

eARC received with thanks from Bookouture via NetGalley for review.