This is a hard book for me to review for two reasons. The first being that I read the publisher’s synopsis, and I feel that it says too much. I had this one figured out from the get-go. The second, being that it is a GUT WRENCHING domestic thriller, which is not where MY personal tastes lie, so I cannot say that I enjoyed this story.

With that being said, however, I DO think the book is well written and that readers who do prefer their mystery/thrillers on the darker, more disturbing side WILL be satisfied. Also a plus, a plausible, satisfying conclusion which seems elusive in many of the thrillers that I have read to date.

So, go in as blind as possible.

Do not read if your triggers are psychological and sexual abuse of a child. This is a big part of a second narrative of a child named Lydia, which will intersect with Maddie’s later on in the book.

All you do need to know is that Maddie , a mother of three young children, wakes up to find her youngest son, Noah, dead in his cot. Some of his bruises have the police questioning if it was a simple case of cot death or not. Maddie becomes the prime suspect, due to the fact that the drugs she has been taking for her postpartum depression, seem to be causing her to have memory lapses, and blackouts.

This is a realistic portrayal of a family suffering through the heart breaking loss of a baby. One where each family member wonders who they can trust.

Maddie even begins to question if it could be possible that she is the one who hurt her infant son.

But, there are several other viable suspects.

And, they are all hiding something.

I would like to thank Netgalley, Avon books and T J Stimson for allowing me to read this digital copy shortly after it was published in exchange for a candid review! This title is available NOW!!

Dark, twisted and chilling, T J Stimson’s terrifying debut thriller Picture of Innocence is a haunting read guaranteed to send shivers down your spine and have you sleeping with the lights on for weeks!

Maddie is a woman who seems to have the world at her feet. She has three beautiful children, a gorgeous husband, a great circle of friends and a career she loves. But scratch the surface and you will find that Maddie’s world is not as rosy nor is it as idyllic as it initially seems. While Maddie adores her three children, her youngest two, Noah and baby Jacob, are driving her increasingly mad. Her husband, Lucas, seems to be getting more and more distant and although Maddie knows that she should not pay any heed to her mother’s misguided opinions, she simply cannot shake off this awful feeling that he is hiding something from her. Maddie has always had her business to keep her going through the toughest of times. Her animal sanctuary has been a refuge for her ever since she was a teenager, but the bills are piling up, the debts increasing at an alarming rate and money which she simply hasn’t got is desperately needed. If Maddie does not come up with a viable solution to make the sanctuary profitable, she might end up having to close it down. Maddie has got a lot on her plate at the moment, but there is something far more sinister troubling her mind and threatening to destroy her life…

In the last couple of months, Maddie has been having frightening episodes of memory loss where she could be doing something trivial and mundane, only for her to fall down a black hole and end up committing things which she has no recollection of even thinking, let alone actually attempting. Thus far, she has been lucky because during these moments she has only ended up committing acts that are harmless and inconsequential. But what about next time? What is going to happen to Maddie the next time she has another episode and ends up doing something that is far more terrifying and can have far reaching and dangerous consequences? Her therapist assures her that she has absolutely nothing to worry about and that this is only a side effect of her medication. But Maddie is not at all sure. The future has left Maddie completely and utterly petrified, but it is the present that holds the biggest danger for her…

When tragedy strikes and one of Maddie’s children is harmed, everyone is a suspect – including Maddie herself! Who had done something so heinous to one of her babies? Maddie has always trusted her friends and family, but has she been putting her trust in the wrong people? Looks can be deceiving and you never know what goes on beneath the surface. Everyone is capable of terrible things. Even the most innocent and trustworthy person you know. Even you.

Are Maddie’s children safe from her? Or is she a danger to everyone…including herself?

I don’t think I’ve ever been more scared reading a book! Picture of Innocence is a thriller that grabs you by the throat from page one and keeps you turning those pages all through the night. A chilling domestic thriller that is brilliantly plotted, fabulously written and deliciously scary, Picture of Innocence is an addictive page-turner that is certainly not for the faint-hearted which will terrify and shock readers everywhere.

T J Stimson is a master storyteller who knows how to make the hairs at the back of your neck stand on end. Picture of Innocence is a first-rate novel that heralds the arrival of a chilling new voice in psychological crime thrillers and I cannot wait to read her next twisted tale!

I’m sorry I haven’t been able to review this book yet . Thank you for providing me with an ARC but I have bought the book so will get to it as soon as my TBR pile diminishes and post my review to my blog

Wow oh wow. What a book....loved it....
The cover initially won me over but what a story that came after....
For the first couple of chapters, the tears were there and I'll admit, I found it quite upsetting to read.
After that, I raced through it, couldn't put it down in fact.
It was such a dark, murky novel, leaving me clueless as to who was at fault...
We meet Maddie & Lucas who have lost their son in the most cruel way possible.
We watch as both of them struggle with their grief and try to move on as a family.
But who has hurt their son, who can they trust, can they even trust each other anymore...
If only Maddie could remember.
She wonders is she losing her mind.
And who is Lydia and what has she done 🤔🤔
So many questions....
This is author Tess Stimson's first time delving into the psychological thriller genre and she certainly doesn't disappoint with it....
You won't put this novel down I tell you...
It's completely engrossing...💕
Well worth taking the time to check out....

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and of course the author for this digital ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.
This book is a twisted psychological thriller and was a very enjoyable read! let me in shock!!

Maddie has a normal family with her husband and three children. However, tragedy strikes and life as they know it is turned on it's head.
The early story is in tandem with Lydia's life story of terror, neglect and abuse.
This was a dark psychological thriller which had a great way of making the reader suspect every member of the family of having committed a crime, including Maddie herself. Even when we discovered what had really happened that day, the twists continued and the end sent a shiver down my spine!
A really enjoyable read, I won't go into any more detail as I would hate to spoil it for anyone else!

T J Stimson's Picture of Innocence is an absolute fantastic book. Edge of your seat material at its best.

Oooohhhh This was good!! Adrenaline was high at points, confusion was high, I thought I’d sussed it several times and changed my mind.....excellent rollercoaster of a book!

First of all, thank you Netgalley and Avon Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, I must admit that this book through me completely off guard!

Before you pick up this book you should be aware that this story is very intense, shocking, emotional and disturbing yet it's utterly gripping as well.
If, like me, you are a mum to small children the story will get to you even more. It's about a young family struggling with every day life, it's about lies, loss, abuse, not knowing who to trust or turn to. It made my head spin and I could not figure out the plot untill very late in the story. It has two different story lines that come together eventually but, I promise there is a twist that you won't see coming.
I will have to recover a bit from this story and will probably pick up something light next since it got me feeling pretty sad and gloomy but still, I hugely recommend Picture of Innocence. A solid five stars for me!

Maddie and Lucas have 3 wonderful children and a happy marriage. Then tradegy strikes while Lucas is away and suddenly their lives are turned upside down. Maddie is accused of doing something terrible. We also follow another little girl's traumatic childhood raised by a cruel mother. Slowly we learn how these two families are linked and of the awful consequences.
This story moves quickly and is engrossing and dark at the same time. Thanks to the publisher and author for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This thriller was a darkly disturbing read. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, so I'll keep it short!

The main character is Maddie, a busy mother with 3 children. We also meet Lydia and hear her distressing story.

The book is well written and fast moving. I was completely gripped and stayed up late into the night to finish it- which was a mistake as the story haunted me afterwards.

If you like a well paced thriller, you will not be disappointed in this book. I will be looking for further offerings from this author! Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy.

This dark but addictive read explores what it is like to tragically lose a child and the impact it has on the rest of the family.

Maddie is struggling to bring up 3 children under the age of 10 she has suffered with post natal depression and is on medication that may be causing her to suffer memory loss and blackouts.

When their youngest Noah is discovered dead in his cot and it’s soon discovered it is not a natural death, she becomes the prime suspect. Could she have done it during a black out!!

We are also introduced to Lydia a poor child who is abused physically and sexually, she commits a terrible crime and is sent to prison. This story kept me guessing at what the link between the 2 stories were.

At times this book is dark and disturbing but it is also highly addictive and I read it in 1 day as I couldn’t wait to see what happens.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

I read this a few weeks ago and I still haven’t got the words for the review but I better write something lol don’t get me wrong- this is a great read but it’s a heavy read.
I didn’t speed through this like I normally do. That is in no way a negative- it’s one of those books that had me thinking.

The author did a great job of writing such a compelling and interesting read. The characters are so different they will bring all sorts of emotions out of the readers.

Picture of Innocence is a fabulous read that gripped my attention from start to finish. I’m really looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.

This book upset me a lot. There was a lot of abusive scenes and scenes that made me take a breather. Very well written.

I couldn’t put it down!! It was almost like the author was controlling ,y thoughts as I read- just as soon as I made up my mind about who could have hurt baby Noah, the author put in another twist. It was a fascinating read! Don’t miss this book!

I just loved this book "Picture of Innocence" by T J Stimson. However, at the beginning I thought I had read this book or something similar before and had the same feeling when I was further within the book. But, it did not stop me reading it.

My name is Lydia. I’m 12 years old. I’m not an evil person, but I did something bad.

What did Lydia do?

Who is she?

I was hooked just from this and wanted to find out more about Lydia.

Maddie and Lucas are married. They have 3 small children Emily is 9, son Jacob is 2 and newborn Noah is 9 weeks old.
Maddie is struggling and exhausted with no sleep with post natal depression and memory lapses. Noah has colic and seems to be awake and crying more than he's resting.
Maddie wakes up one morning, after having her first good nights sleep in a long time and especially as her Husband was away for the night with his work. Maddie makes a crushing discovery when she checks on their 2 month old child called Noah and finds him dead in his cot. Her world comes crashing all around her. Mothers worst nightmare!!!
Maddie would never hurt her own child and the Police have to be called. Maddie is the Police's number ones suspect!

What has Lydia and Maddie got in common?

You will need to read Picture of Innocence to find out......You will be shocked!!!

This book is Full of Twists and Turns and will have you saying WoW.........didn't see that coming!!!

Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced reading copy and for allowing my read this in exchange for an honest review

# Picture of Innocence # Netgalley
I was glued to this from the first chapter, a mother thinking she’s got the perfect life, running a charity, that means a lot to her. It’s a story of trust, manipulation that at first goes unnoticed until it’s too late. When people lead really busy life’s with children and a job it’s shows how easy it is to plant things into the human mind, yet they don’t recall, Maddie has her secrets, although are they real of another case of manipulation. It’s intriguing twisty, with a shocking ending. You will not want to put the book down at all a very very good read one I do recommend

A hard-hitting domestic thriller that delves into the darker side of family life.

Maddie – Awakens one morning to a mother's worst nightmare – her infant son, Noah, lies dead in his cot. And, with her husband away, she's the police’s number one suspect. Maddie's convinced she could never hurt her own child, but the medication she's been on since the postpartum depression she had after her middle child, Jacob, was born, sometimes causes her to experience blackouts and time lapses.

Lydia – A young girl, growing up in an extremely abusive household,

How do Maddie’s and Lydia's stories intersect?

4.5 rounded up to 5. Perfectly paired psychological suspense and domestic noir, that highlights some controversial moral questions. Maddie’s story was a relatable family setting, torn apart by tragedy and dishonesty. At times it made for heartbreaking reading, since it involved the unexpected and suspicious death of a baby. At others, tense and taut, as long buried secrets came to light, and Maddie struggled over who in her life to trust, and believe, as well as doubting her own innocence due to her bouts of amnesia. Lydia’s arc was shockingly sad, and tough going – trigger warnings below. Both POV's were engrossing, emotional, and addictive, and layered with twist after twist.

The plot flowed well, and never dragged, with realistic dialogue that made sense. When Noah died, the part that really got me was how sensitively pathologists and police deal with grieving families who've just lost a baby. I leant things that I didn't know that they did, and it was this level of detail throughout that elevated the story, and made everything that was happening all the more real and emotionally impacting.

I encourage you to slot this one into your busy reading schedule, as it is not to be missed.

I'd like to thank Netgalley, Avon Books UK, and TJ Stimson for the e-ARC.

TRIGGER WARNINGS BELOW (Do not read any further if you don't wish to be spoiled)





Trigger warning for prolonged physical and psychological child abuse of a mother towards her young daughter, as well as sexual abuse involving said mother's boyfriend. The author strives to keep things as non-graphic as possible, but still disturbing nonetheless.

The nature/nurture debate is an interesting one, isn't it? Can someone simply be born bad or are they a product of their upbringing and their surroundings? Picture of Innocence addresses that question, along with asking how you can keep your children safe if you barely even trust yourself.

Maddie is our central character. She's married to Lucas and has three children, Emily, Jacob and Noah. Noah is only 10 weeks old and was a bit unexpected, especially given the fact that Jacob is only 2. After suffering from post-natal depression after Jacob's birth, Maddie is understandably concerned about having another baby so soon after, and so is Lucas. She's also trying to run an animal sanctuary that is drowning in debt so she's under a lot of pressure.

The first bit of the book is scene-setting but then wham bam, there's a tragedy in the family and everybody is a suspect. Maddie herself seems the obvious choice, but then what about Lucas? And extended family and friends? Maddie doesn't know who she can trust anymore. It blows her world apart.

This is such a gripping, fast-paced book. I just couldn't put it down and read it, all 404 pages, within a day. I suspected everyone, just like Maddie did. Intertwined with the main story is that of a young girl, mistreated from childhood and I thought this strand of the story was brilliantly executed to keep me guessing.

Picture of Innocence isn't an easy book to read in terms of subject matter. It's quite distressing a storyline, in fact both strands are disturbing. But it's absolutely compelling reading and just when I thought I had got a handle on what was happening, Stimson threw another curveball at me, sending me down another path.

I believe this is this established women's fiction author's first foray into psychological thrillers and what a way to begin. It's a chilling read, one that makes you think about how well you know people. I thought it was fantastic.

I liked the book… it was well written and kept my interest. I like mysteries so I had my own ideas as to whom the murderer might be and I enjoyed following Maddie's search for justice. It was a quick read.. and one you will want to keep reading just to see how it ends. The book ends in a rather open ended way so I was left to wonder if more books are planned. I surely hope so, because I will definitely read it ..