Until You're Mine by Samantha Hayes Review

Title: Until You're Mine
Author: Samantha Hayes
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Series: DCI Lorraine Fisher, book one
Star Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Broadway Books, through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review--thank you so much!

 This is the first book I've ever read by Samantha Hayes, and it most definitely won't be my last. Mysteries and thrillers, normally, for me, are hit and miss. Sometimes, I can predict the ending within fifty pages. Other times, there comes a book--like this one--that grabs me by the throat and doesn't let go. I love thrillers, especially when I can't guess what's going to happen!

Until You're Mine has three unique, first-person points of view: Claudia Morgan-Brown, a social worker that is expecting a baby girl in a few short months, DCI Lorraine Fisher, a detective assigned to investigate the murders of several young pregnant women in the area, Zoe Harper, her nanny who has secrets of her own to hide, and a first-person, unknown character that longs for nothing more than a child of their own. Young To say that this novel is creepy is a huge understatement--the prose is meticulous and frightening, setting off a feeling of unease as you go along. The pacing was fantastic--I couldn't put it down, and when I did, it stayed crouched in the back of my mind like a dark shadow.

I really enjoyed the way the narrative jumped between the three women, all of whom have skeletons in their closets they'd do anything to hide. The creep factor only grows as the book goes on, the desperation ratcheting up more and more as Lorraine races against the clock to find the depraved killer. Plus, there was also the four different points of view--sometimes, this is used as a plot device and everything gets confused, but Hayes was really skilled--I can't wait to read more from this promising British thriller author! It really added a lot of depth. This is probably one of my favorite thrillers ever, and I'm so excited for more from Hayes!

As far as a series debut goes, this book was really solid--it's definitely one of my favorites I've read so far. But there were times when I was a little confused, especially when the domestic details came in. However, this book was really enjoyable--absolutely wonderful! Chilling prose, deeply realized characters, and a shocking ending that caught me completely by surprise--this book was so much fun!

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