What does one do when they are down and out? How does a desperate situation push people to do certain things, like acting recklessly or taking bold decisions? Perhaps, there are going to be a few lingering questions in your mind when you read the gripping tale of Zoe, who accepts the role of nanny and gets more than she agreed to.
Zoe Smith has come from an impoverished background with an absent father and a detached mother. Therefore, she understands that if she doesn’t take care of herself, then there won’t be anyone else to do so. That led her to earmark a decent chunk of her earnings as the college fund. Although not much, it’s her safety net to help her get a decent college degree from a reputed university and fulfill her lifelong dream of becoming a journalist. The only thing standing between her savings and her dream is her mother’s irresponsible habit of overspending. That habit consumes Zoe’s savings and brings her life to a standstill.
Therefore, Zoe doesn’t have any other options available than taking up the temporary job offer as a nanny at Stockport Estate to replenish her college fund. Although she is hesitant at the beginning about this job and living with strangers in a remote location, she decides to continue due to the remuneration it offers.
However, she soon realizes that everything is not as it seems with the Stockport family. It starts with Zoe’s delayed arrival at the Stockport estate located in the wilderness of a mountainous region. Besides the unfamiliar landscape, Zoe has to deal with bizarre people she comes across in and around the Stockports. The only person with whom she can connect and feel emotional is Cece, eighteen months old daughter of the Stockports.
Between an emotionally aloof, physically distant father and an impulsive and emotionally charged mother, Cece has little choice but to form any kind of bond with her parents. Naturally, she leans on Zoe and gets quickly attached. That doesn’t go well with the Stockport couple, and Zoe has to bear the consequences in the form of verbal abuse.
Things get further complicated for her when another nanny, called Bree, is killed. Bree has recently acquainted Zoe and was eager to form a friendship with her. But before she could do so, her unnatural death put a stop to it. This raises more questions and prompts Zoe to go deeper to find the truth behind Bree’s professional façade. Suffice to say that it puts Zoe in a dangerous situation, and she almost has to pay with her life to keep Cece safe.
Once things start unravelling by Zoe discovers shocking details about the famed lives of Stockports, and the entire house of lies comes crashing down. She soon comprehends the truth behind the carefully curated veneer of perfection, hiding seemingly damaging and ugly truths of the rich and famous. What Zoe does next is worth reading yourself.
Indeed, the book has a fast-paced narrative and keeps you glued to its pages from the first word. The brief but detailed groundwork for Zoe’s fateful appointment has been laid in such a fashion that you won’t get a breather to think about what comes next. From there on, things move in a rapid succession, and the readers breeze past one incident after another. There are so many smoothly executed scenarios peppered across this novel to keep you guessing till the very end.
Although a seasoned reader could guess the real identity of Cece along with the probable finish to the story, it’s still worthwhile to hold on till the last paragraph. You will also come across a few loose ends strewn across the storyline, which might hint at a sequel in this series. So, we can certainly keep an eye out for that.
If I have to summarize it, then I will simply recommend this book for a quick and breezy reading for all the mystery, thriller, and domestic drama lovers. Happy reading!!!
*This post is based on the ARC copy provided by NetGalley.