Look Behind You by Sibel Hodge Publisher: Self-Published on 2014
Genres: Adult, Mystery, Thriller
Pages: 238
Format: eBook
Source: Publisher
Purchase: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads
Rating:
Chloe Benson wakes up kidnapped and bound in an underground tomb with no memory of how she got there.
She escapes through deserted woods with her life, but no one believes her story.
And when she suspects her husband is lying to her, Chloe is forced to retrace her past, following in her own footsteps to find the truth and stay alive.
But who is following Chloe?
Look Behind You. You never know who’s out there.
At A Glance
This book surprised me in a good way.
The Good
I went into Look Behind You blind. I didn’t know what it was about, and to my pleasant surprise, it was a psychological thriller, which is not a genre I read a lot. Right from the start I was hooked. Chloe finds herself kidnapped and left to die in an underground room. But when she escapes, that’s when the fun begins. Because no one believes that she was kidnapped. All evidence points to a psychotic break, but Chloe knows the truth…or does she?
Even though I felt like I knew what the truth pretty early, I liked the curve balls thrown at us. Sometimes I wasn’t sure if Chloe really did make up everything in her head. Chloe is the one who follows her trail of breadcrumbs to the true story. I felt bad for her because literally no one believed her. So frustrating and scary. Chloe was so determined though, which made me like her a lot.
The tension was high the whole way through. I felt like Chloe couldn’t trust anyone. She really was on her own. A very clever plot with some creepy characters that will give you the chills. I was captivated the whole time.
The Bad
Somewhat of a Spoiler ahead! I knew who the killer was from the get go. Other suspects are thrown in to confuse us, which was a good attempt, but I always knew. I didn’t hate the fact that it was obvious because I was still nervous for Chloe, but it would have been more fun if the mystery was harder to crack.
The Snuggly
No sex per se, it’s more like kinda forced sex that is just crossing the line to assault. But we get no details, so I didn’t feel too uncomfortable. But I was surprised by the direction the romance went it this one. It was interesting.
Final Thoughts
A very good psychological thriller through and through. If the outcome was less obvious, it would have been over the top good. But I enjoyed myself every minute. I will be looking out for this author for now on. Highly recommended.
Quotes
“Your confidence and self-esteem have withered away, but the very person you want to get away from is the one you rely on most. And you don’t know when it happened. Can’t pinpoint an exact day, week, or month, because it’s a gradual, subtle process. It creeps up on you slowly. So slowly that you don’t realize you’re bending, breaking, and becoming a different person. A woman who’s not happy, not living her own life, but the life her husband wants instead.”
“Physical wounds can heal, can’t they? But it takes a long time to recover from having your self-confidence and self-esteem crushed to nothing. I watched him smother the life right out of her”
“It’s why I picked you. You were feisty and independent, but if you scratched just under the surface, you were vulnerable and fragile. It’s so easy to mould someone into what you want. Watch them turn into your perfect woman and know that it’s all just for you. Their energy dies, and they become compliant and eager to please. It’s all just a matter of control and time.”
Red Iza
Funny, I read a review yesterday about a book called “Don’t look back” 😉 I also recently read a book where the main character might have been imagining it all, so I guess the plot is not overly original, but it does look catching. Adding it to my list, great review !
Jennifer Bielman
True, not super original, but it felt unique to me because I never read a book like this one.
Lekeisha
I love unreliable narrators, they make the story more interesting and keeps you on the edge of your seat. I’m so adding this to my already ginormous list. Great review!
Jennifer Bielman
So true, a perfect unreliable narrator is awesome.
kindlemom1
Boo for the predictability of the killer but really, this sounds like a great read. And if you were hooked right away, kudos to the author for that. Anymore that seems to be rare, especially from a book and author you know little about.
Wonderful review Jennifer, I think I need to read this one as well.
Jennifer Bielman
I definitely enjoyed myself despite the predictability.
Suzi Q, The Book Dame
I love psychological thriller’s and would love to see what Sibel Hodge brings to the table. I read one of her books a few years ago and it was totally different. More chick lit. Thanks for your review.
Jennifer Bielman
Wow, I didn’t know she did chick lit. I like a diverse author.
Melliane
Even if you knew about the killer this one sounds like a really great one. I love to be hooked by a story from the start. So good!
Jennifer Bielman
A good story I think is all that matters with this one.
Christy
Ohh you lucked out playing chance with a book. I love when that happens. And that a good sign that even though things were obvious, you still enjoyed it. I may have to grab this.
Jennifer Bielman
I hope you love it if you try it.
ailyn
woow.. i am not a fan of psycho thrillers, i think they mess with my head too much. good review though
Jennifer Bielman
Oh yeah, a thorough head messing was had! lol.
ailyn
then i believe that it has done a good job ahhah
Anna
As soon as I read the title I looked over my shoulder. This book looks too good to miss. I’m in. 🙂
Anna from Elements of Writing
Jennifer Bielman
Bwhahahaha!
Kristin
Hm…. never heard of this before but it sounds kind of good. Plus, that cover really sets the tone. I will have to add this to my GR list.
Jennifer Bielman
Happy to hear it! Enjoy,
Brandi Breathes Books
The clever plot and creepy characters sound nice
Jennifer Bielman
It was really nice.
Braine Talk Supe
I don’t like it when the perp is revealed too early in the story. I want a good brain workout even if my guess is going to be wrong. I still want to make an effort lol
Jennifer Bielman
Yeah, it was sucky but I had a good time anyway.
Shane Morgan (@itchingforbooks)
Good review. I love mysteries and psychological thrillers so this one piques my curiosity. Too bad you know who the killer was from start though. That can ruin the experience but at least it was an interesting story regardless.
Jennifer Bielman
Yeah, it ruins the experience in a way, but hey, what are you going to do.
Jaclyn Canada
I couldn’t imagine having no one to turn to and no one to trust or believe in me. That’d be so unbelievably tough. I’m really glad you enjoyed this one. Great review!
Jennifer Bielman
It really did suck for her. So scary.
anna (herding cats & burning soup)
Ahhh the covers on some of your books lately totally give me the willies. lol That can be such a hard thing to pull off having the reader know who the bad guy is from the start or having it easily guessable. Sometimes it totally works but others not so much. Glad overall this one was doing it for ya!
Jennifer Bielman
LOL Yeah, this one was easily guessable, which sucked, but the rest was great.
kimbacaffeinate
Oh wow Jennifer this sounds good. I do wish the ending pushed it over the edge though. I have added it to my wishlist ..I love these twisty kind of reads.
Jennifer Bielman
I think you would love this one.