The Playground : A totally gripping psychological thriller with an unexpected twist
Book Description
He saved my little girl when I couldn’t. I invited him into our lives. But I had no idea he knew my darkest secret…
It is an ordinary September morning when I nearly lose my little girl. My mouth is dry, my hands shake when I see that she has darted unexpectedly into the playground…
The place where my own childhood ended.
Where I can’t set foot inside.
As she wobbles on top of the climbing frame about to fall, a silent scream freezes in my throat. So when a stranger hears her cries and rushes to help, I feel weak with relief.
I thank him as my daughter presses her tear-stained face into my skirt. Looking into his warm brown eyes and gentle smile, I feel an instant connection. When our paths cross again, I invite him for dinner. I’ve been so lonely since the breakdown of my marriage. What harm could come of it?
Soon we are seeing each other daily and I feel a spark grow between us. But then he says something that makes my heart beat fast in my chest. Something that makes me think he knows my secret.
That he knows what really happened at the playground all those years ago.
And if he knows that, he could destroy my precious family in a second…
A completely unputdownable page-turner about the terrible secrets that any family can hide. Fans of Lisa Jewell, K.L. Slater and Gillian McAllister will be hooked on The Playground!
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'The Playground' by S.D Robertson.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for S.D Robertson, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 26th September 2023
This is the first book I have read by this very talented author but it most certainly won't be my last!!!
This novel consists of a prologue and 65 chapters. The chapters are short in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
'The Playground' discusses some topics that may upset some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Stuart discusses drugs and knife crime.
WHAT did I just read!!!! WOW!!! I mean seriously Wow!! I was NOT expecting that lot fair play!!! This has GOT to start with a MASSIVE WELL DONE Stuart Robertson!!!! Ooopps sorry, yes, needed a minute to get over that but I've just left you hanging there... Sorry.... Let me tell you more...
Firstly let's start off with the writing style, etc!! This book is an extremely well written book by this amazing author which had me hook line and sinker!!! It is so smoothly and fantastically written with vivid and evocative descriptions I completely forgot I was even reading a book a few times. The synopsis, title and cover really fit the storyline.
As you can tell I LOVED the storyline!!! I found it to be realistic, very fast paced and I read it in a day. I loved the setting and atmosphere, characters and just well... Everything!!! This is one of those epic storylines that really does show how one moment in time can change so many lives!!! I absolutely loved this twisty and gripping thriller!!! Stuart uses multiple perspectives in his storyline and managed to weave them altogether perfectly. We not only get to see what is happening from the view points of Mum Beth, Dad Rory, son Ethan and Billy but also from both the past and present timelines. Stuart weaves the multiple protagonist and multiple timeline perspectives together perfectly to slowly drip feed the reader just enough information to see what is going on and why without giving anything away that spoils the explosive twists!!!
As you delve deeper and deeper into the storyline secrets are revealed, mistakes are made and the pace gets faster and faster!!! During the book there are so many butterfly affects which goes to show how one small action can have such a large ripple affect which could continue for years. This book was extremely fast paced with something constantly happening to keep you addicted. Every time I kept telling myself one more chapter the one I was in ended at a point where there was no way I could stop reading so I absolutely devoured it in one sitting!! It was absolutely ram packed with mystery, secrets, jealousy, drama, family, revenge, heartbreak, tension, suspense and absolutely everything you could ask for in a gripping and heart racing thriller. I was constantly guessing and questioning myself about what was going on and when everything was revealed I was absolutely shocked and had been completely wrong about everything!! This is not an easy feat considering how many books I read a year so a HUGE CONGRATULATIONS Stuart!! I have read hundreds of psychological books and it gets harder and harder to keep my interest and to shock me but Stuart managed it hook, line and sinker!!! Just absolutely brilliant fair play and everything linked in and wraps up perfectly!!! I cannot remember the last time I flew through a book so quickly. Each and every time I went to put it down to do something my fingers were itching to pick it back up as I just HAD to know what happened next!! Stuart's evocative writing skills ensures you are dragged deep into the storyline seeing everything that is happening and feeling the tension and suspense throughout. I was on the edge of my seat and biting my nails wondering what was going to happen next. I can't say more than that as I don't want to spoil it for future readers so if you want to know you'll have to grab yourself a copy!! You won't regret it!! Just like with the storyline the characters come to life with Stuart's fantastic writing skills. They are well rounded, complex, realistic and strong making them all the more believable. I won't go into more details as I don't want to risk giving anything away but Stuart really has done an amazing job constructing an addictive and explosive psychological thriller with fantastic and varied characters that you just won't be able to put down!! I would absolutely LOVE to see this turned into a movie and would wait up all night to get tickets to watch it!! I cannot wait to get stuck into more of his books and I really hope he continues to write psychological thrillers as he has definitely got one heck of a talent for them!!! An absolute must read!!
Congratulations Stuart on an explosive success!!! I would like to welcome you to my favourite author club!! I'm off to add the rest of your books to my wish list as I cannot wait to get my teeth into the rest!! Here's to your next success 🥂!!!
Clear your schedules before picking this up as you will not be able to put it down!!!
Overall an absolutely page turning, addictive, gripping and explosive must read that will keep you addicted from the very start to the mind blowing ending!!!
318 pages.
This book is just 99p to purchase on kindle via Amazon, free with kindle unlimited and £8.99 in paperback which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5/5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
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Author Bio
Former journalist S.D. Robertson is a USA Today and #1 Kindle bestseller. He quit his role as a local newspaper editor to pursue a lifelong ambition of becoming a novelist – and he’s never looked back. Stuart, whose work has been translated into ten languages, is a reluctant DIYer and unofficial tech support provider for his family. He lives in a village near Manchester and is married with one daughter. There’s also his cat, who likes to distract him from writing by any means possible.
Social Media Links
Website: www.sdrobertsonauthor.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SDRauthor
Purchase Link
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