How vulnerable are we when we put our lives online? How dangerous is the internet? Is there a dark side to social media? This book will have you second guessing how much information you put online.
In this story we meet Reagan. She lives a quiet life in Sydney and has no online presence. No internet, no smart phone, and no photos. No digital footprint at all.
One morning on a jog, Reagan comes across a mutilated dead body in the laneway that looks just like her. Instead of reporting it, she flees. This is the moment that the mystery, and the unsettling suspense ramps up to a point where the book has you turning the pages with one eye closed, and your heart thumping in your chest wondering what comes next.
It comes to light that Reagan has chosen to stay offline due to a harrowing experience with a stalker many years before. She assumes this will keep her safe. Surely there is no way he could ever track her down.
She meets a charming business minded man when he comes into her shop, and they hit it off. He slowly gains her trust and restores her faith in men. With his help she creates an online presence in order to help her business sales take off. He offers to help Reagan grow her brand.
What follows will make all women feel sick. Whether we choose to share our lives online or not, we are never truly safe from misogyny and pure evil. The unspeakable things some humans are capable of putting others through for their own sick entertainment is terrifying.
The scariest part is these men could be your neighbour, your work colleague, or a family member. It lays bare just how vulnerable all women are and how any of us can become a target at any time. The fact that the book is based on some true elements is even scarier.
Being set in Sydney, it hits close to home for me. Most women I know, me included, have experienced some sort of violence or threatening behaviour from a man at some point in our lives. This story takes that fear to another level.
Ashley Kalagian Blunt has written a cracker of a debut thriller that will scare the pants off you. This is a must read for thriller fans, but be warned, it may stay with you for a very long time.
I give it five stars.
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