Kate Duggan blames herself for an accident which killed her brother and crippled her twin sister Eve. She has a constant reminder of the crash – a scar on her face which she camouflages with makeup. Not only does she feel guilty for what happened, her own physical disfigurement has left her with low esteem. When she meets handsome personal trainer Rob, she believes she has found someone who looks beyond the scar and really loves her. Now engaged and living in a cottage her grandmother left her, things appear to have changed. Rob is no longer a warm loving man but bullying and secretive.
Originally training as a lawyer, Kate joined the Met as a police officer . Having left her uniform days behind she is about to begin working for private investigators Parker and Sons. On her first morning when introduced to the owner’s son Ben she feels a spark of attraction but reminds herself she is already committed to Rob. Ben is also attracted to Kate but is still mourning the death of his wife and unborn child. As the two of them begin working together on a drugs case, a close friendship forms.
Lynda Stacey provides all the right ingredients for a thoroughly enjoyable read. She skilfully brings her characters together , introducing us to a hero and heroine still holding onto their painful pasts, a thoroughly unpleasant boyfriend and the mother from hell to mention but a few There are enough plot twists and turns in the plot as it sweeps Ben and Kate in and out of dangerous situations, as you wonder whether they will eventually get together or not. An excellent follow up to her first novel House of Secrets.