Teresa Sorkin and Tullan Holmqvist | THE WOMAN IN THE PARK

Plot (via Goodreads):

When Manhattanite Sarah Rock meets a mysterious and handsome stranger in the park, she is drawn to him. Sarah wants to get away from her daily routine, her cheating husband and his crazy mistress, her frequent sessions with her heartless therapist, and her moody children.

 But nothing is as it seems. Her life begins to unravel when a woman from the park goes missing and Sarah becomes the prime suspect in the woman’s disappearance. Her lover is nowhere to be found, her husband is suspicious of her, and her therapist is talking to the police.  

 With no one to trust, Sarah must face her inner demons and uncover the truth to prove her innocence.

Review:

The Woman in the Park by Teresa Sorkin and Tullan Holmqvist is a stunning cinematic tale with a refreshing take on the unreliable narrator and a story that will drag you kicking and screaming into a brilliantly psychological abyss. I am a sucker for debut authors and when I came across the synopsis for this one, I knew that it was going to be something that took me on a wild ride. 

I was riveted from the beginning. Featuring a little timeline that goes back and forth between the present time and shortly in the past, I was immediately immersed within the first chapter. Sorkin and Holmqvist waste no time nor do they waste any words introducing the reader to an addictive and compelling story with characters that really stand out from one another and make their mark on the pages. I completely devoured this book within one sitting because it was so captivating and once you get started, you don't want to move on to anything else. It was impossible to take a break without literally thinking of nothing but this story. 

I also enjoyed that there is a moment in the book where as a reader, you think you know what is going on and you completely are blindsided. I think it must be a great challenge to write a psychological thriller  with so much detail and plotting that takes such a sharp turn from the groundwork the first section of this book. With equal parts psychological thriller, domestic suspense, and mystery, The Woman in the Park is not only the type of novel that really stands out from a plethora of other titles in its genre but packs a seriously large punch in a novel that is under 200 pages - let alone the fact that this is a debut. Not only is this already one I am eager to read again to pick up on some of the clues that I may not have picked up on the initial read.

Special thanks to Teresa Sorkin, Tullan Holmqvist, and Beaufort Books for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 5/5