Heather’s Bookshelf: The Both of Us
Author: Dan Lawton
Released: 05/01/25
Genre: Psychological Thriller
“Rachel put her hand on their daughter’s shoulder and led her from the room, leaving Mark alone with his thoughts and his doubts. He was no closer to the truth. If anything, he couldn’t have been any further from it. And perhaps worse, now there was some serious friction in his marriage.”
“The Both of Us” introduces Mark, a father, husband, and financial advisor. He loves his life and his family. Everything seems great until he decides to listen in on the Doctor Lisa radio show.
A popular therapist hotline, people call in when they have family challenges or need advice. So, when Mindy from Indy calls in and reports she has as secret, Mark’s shocked to hear the voice matches his wife’s. Except his wife’s name is Rachel, and he can’t believe she could be keeping such a secret.
Confronting his wife, she denies ever making the call. But, he knows his wife’s voice. Then his detective buddy gives him a heads up about a theft at a thrift store. His wife’s been caught on video stealing a box of bullets. But they don’t even own a gun! Rachel is admitted to a mental hospital, but cleared and realized to home. Everything should be back on track, but Rachel’s different, she’s starting to scare Mark, and he’s worried about the safety of his girls.
Will Mark figure out the truth before it’s too late?
Trigger Warning: violence, adult language, sexual situations, reference to drugs
Overall, I enjoyed this tale. The story is told through two main POVs. The first is of Mark as he struggles to figure out and then comprehend what’s going on and who has entered his life and the life of his daughters. The second is the POV of who has entered their lives. The second POV is the voice of Mindy from Indy. The POV slowly reveals what’s truly going on and why. The first half of the book is full of intrigue as to what’s actually going on. There’s an element of surprise and danger including more questions than answers. As truths are revealed, everything begins to make sense. There are several layers of truths that have to be revealed and there’s a consistent element of “what if” throughout that keeps you flipping the page. This is one of those stories that reads easily. It’s not exactly fast paced, but you move through it quickly. The dueling POVs also break it up a bit to push the storyline forward. There’s not a lot of world building that needs to be done for this story as it is very character-forward. Unfortunately, there’s not as much individual character-development as you’d think. Mark is not exactly likable. Yes, he’s a good father, but it’s hard to get a read on him otherwise. Rachel is purposefully vague through much of the tale. I really was hoping for more terror or surprise elements, but it ended up being a bit more predictable, though entertaining. The ending left open the possibility of a sequel, but felt resolved in itself. Following Mindy from Indy a few years down the road could make an excellent addition to this story.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A psychological thriller with dueling POVs and layers of truth. A bit predictable, but entertaining.
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