A good read and a solid thriller which keeps you guessing till the last gasp. The novel provides many interesting points for consideration in the nature versus nurture debate.

This was a tough read as I never felt fully pulled in. I rode with Maddie's story but was thing spiraled out of control, I just couldn't get interested. I found Lydia's story interesting but a bit distracting at points - but it's definitely an intricate part of the plot and is necessary.....I just didn't love how it was interjected.

I did like the ultimate twist and liked how it all played out. It's an interesting story and one that I struggled to weigh morally. It'd be an interesting book club pick to hash out. I just with I'd enjoyed it a little more.

This is a dark and twisty psychological drama of a woman on the brink. Maddie, a young mother of three, one a colicky infant who was definitely unplanned, runs a horse sanctuary that is deeply in debt. She has a history of severe postpartum depression and is experiencing blackouts. During one such blackout she awakes in the rocker in the nursery without her infant. She finds him down beside the chair fine but with deep red marks on his face. Not wanting to admit the blackouts to her husband she makes up a story about him falling asleep pressed up against the bars of the crib. This seemingly innocent lie would never have been noticed if the infant was not found dead in his crib the next day. Thus begins the doubts and lies that could cost her her marriage. The book has 2 plots, one about Maddie and one about Lydia. Who is Lydia? How are the two plots connected? Ms Stimson does an excellent job tying them together. Several times I was convinced I had it figured out only to find another twist. Even though I guessed who did it just before that was revealed I was still not prepared for the disturbing ending. This book left me thinking and shivering. Excellent debut thriller for a former romance writer. I hope to see more from her. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book.

There are so many domestic thrillers on the market with interchangeable artwork, titles, characters and synopses, and this book is no exception. However, I found it much more compelling than most and the subject matter is one that is profoundly chilling. It's quite a tough reads as it's a stark reminder that we all need a support system in place but that not everyone can be trusted to have pure objectives. Picture of Innocence is rather cleverly written and just as it says, the characters you least expect of having self-serving, ulterior motives are those who turn out to be exactly that.

At the very heart of the story is the psychological debate of nature vs nurture - what traits we are genetically predisposed to compared to those that are borne of our environment. It's a fascinating question and fed into this narrative beautifully. As the question has never really had much of a definitive answer it is pretty much a percentage play in terms of guessing which facets of our personalities are a product of our genetic material and parentage and which are a product of our environment in our formative years. This is a well written, gripping novel with a plethora of twisty surprises and a serious message with an interesting psychological viewpoint and well worth a read.

Many thanks to Avon for an ARC.

DISTURBING
This book is not a cozy read, nor one to ‘enjoy’ or with even a smidgen of humour in it, it wont make you feel good nor lighten your mood, it
includes in the build up to the main story sections on all kinds
of abuse and brutality suffered in childhood by one of the books main characters, it is a harrowing, shocking look into a young girls life and why she did as she did at such a young age ( further on in the book )
It’s important ( to me ) to be honest in a review and this part of the book was difficult and I did have to skip parts of it ( once over the sections that deal with it it is only referred to and not gone into detail again )
Its quite a long book and I did guess the ending about half way through although the reason for the person doing as they did was still shocking, It’s very hard to say anything about this story without giving any clues away to the plot and could
easily give the whole storyline away and then the book would be ruined for the reader
Some of the characters you meet will repulse you, I dont think I have hated anyone in a book as much as Mae for a long time, pure evil
It IS a well written story, it oozes tenseness and you want a resolve to ‘the situation’ for the innocents
A book its impossible to forget once read and will leave you unnerved
8/10 4 Stars

Picture Of Innocence is a dark psychological thriller that kept me hooked.
The book intertwines two stories, first you have Maddie mother of three children and juggling life but in a happy home until tragedy strikes and Noah, Maddies youngest child is found dead in his cot but he didn’t die of natural causes so Maddie although treated by the police as a suspect is suspecting everyone around her. Interspersed with Maddies chapters are Lydia’s circumstances who is an eleven year old child that has to endure more than most adults could, but who is Lydia and why is she relevant to this story?
I guessed the killer about halfway through but this did not deter my enjoyment of this very dark thriller, amazingly though I did not work out who Lydia was, I barked up totally the wrong the tree there!!
I would like to thank Netgalley and Avon Books UK for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

I love Tess Stimson books - light and easy to read. This was not one of those stories. A lot of authors struggle to make the switch from women’s fiction to thriller. But not Ms Stimson. Oh my GOODNESS. What a book. I enjoyed every minute of this. I read this on my kindle, which I hate and so will totally be buying a paper copy to read again. A hardened thriller fan will be able to guess where the plot is going and see through the laced up storyline ribbons... but wow, what a book and what an ending. I’m going to leave it here, to make sure there are no spoilers but I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a thriller or mystery and tell you to buckle up for a bumpy ride! I received an ARC of this book from the publisher and this has not influenced my view of this book in any way.

I absolutely enjoyed this book. There are lots of twists and turns that will keep you guessing who Lydia might be.

I’ve never read anything by Tess Stimson before AND SOMEHOW I managed to accidentally download this from Netgalley. (I’m new to it and stupid apparently 🙈 but I learned what ‘read now’ means. In a surprise to nobody but me, it literally means READ NOW hahha) Anyway 🙈 because of this I wasn’t sure what to expect and I took forever to pick it up but I was actually rather pleasantly surprised.

It’s not a new favourite of mine by any means but I enjoyed it well enough. I can see this being very popular with people who like to have their heartstrings gently tugged while being creeped out all at once. It was a great take on the question of nature vs nurture. Definitely a ~*psychological*~ thriller, which is a nice change of pace.

I don’t really like to review thrillers because you can’t really say too much without spoiling them, so I’ll try keep it vague and let’s just say that I had some issues with it (honestly I’m just picky hahha) but overall it kept me gripped enough to get through it fairly quickly. It was interesting - the characters were pretty well developed (which I often find lacking in this genre) and I enjoyed the way it was written.

Huge thank you to Avon UK and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

Thank you Avon Books UK for a copy of Picture of Innocence for an honest review. Available April 18, 2019.
Picture of Innocence relies on the unreliable narrator a little too much for my taste. Maddie is a mother of three fighting through sleep exhaustion and worried about postpartum depression while running a charity that is failing. I have read that particular unreliable narrator a lot and it vaguely annoys me that most of her family quickly stops believing or trusting her but no one helps her get any rest. It’s a particular pet peeve of mine.
I did love the Lydia story line though and wish the bulk of the story was there rather than the other way around. There was too many “surprise” twists in Maddie’s story line and it took a while for the two to connect for me.
A good story but one that was not working for me.

This is one devious thriller! Does the fruit ever fall far from the tree? That's the question at the heart of this story. A baby dies under suspect circumstance and the who-done-it mystery is the main story line. Told primarily from the mothers POV the twists and turns kept me off balance and guessing with each new revelation. The writing is wonderful with solid character development and a pace that kept me invested to the very end. I love thrillers with unreliable narrators and your never quite sure about the mother. Having suffered from postpartum depression after the birth of her second child and the occasional black out loss of memory, she struggles with the possibility of being guilty of causing the death of her infant third child. So does the reader...

Sometimes as a reader you read a book and you think ‘mm that was a strange one to read’. Well a Picture of Innocence by T J Stimson was definitely out there, especially for that awesome twist at the end. I just loved it! The twists and turns, the shades of light and dark, it was so very, very clever. What made it even better was the way the writer lured you down one path and you thought you had it all worked out and then you were led down another path. Whilst, I thought the person who was found to have caused Noah’s death was who it ended up being, I didn’t see the end coming.
With thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the ARC, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book
Highly recommended

With three children under the age of ten, Maddie is struggling. On the outside, she's a happy young mother, running a charity as well as a household. But inside, she's exhausted. She knows she's lucky to have a support network around her. A loving husband, family and friends, but is Maddie putting her trust in the right people? When tragedy strikes, she is certain someone has hurt her child.

I was hooked from the start of this book. Maddie is having blackouts. Noah, her newest baby, has died in his cot. Everyone seems to be blaming Maddie. We also learn about Lydia, a little girl who experiences violence and neglect. We later find out what the connect is between Lydia and Maddie. The story deals with some very emotional and difficult subjects. The twists are plentiful, some I didn't see coming, especially the two at the end. I found this book hard to put down as I needed to get to the conclusion. A very well written book.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Avon Books UK, and the author T. J. Stimson for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Maddie is beyond exhausted with child #3, Noah. An unplanned pregnancy - yet she tries not to let her husband, Lucas, know that her depression has returned. Also, she is having blackouts that make up some of her lost time.
The pills that Dr. Calkins gave Maddie after Jacob was born (child #2) made her drowsy, so after her depression with him, she decides to hide her feelings. Maddie and Lucas have been married 6 years are happy. Jacob is stepfather to Emily, from when Maddie was previously married. When Noah is squished after Maddie falls asleep, she is beginning to lose it. Noah dies. (The blame falls to Maddie - after all she is crazy, right?) Then come the police...

Lydia, the daughter of Mae, is seriously abused as a child - physically, psychologically and sexually. When Lydia turns 11, something bad happens and changes Lydia's entire life...

Anything else could be a spoiler. This is truly a good book that is a MUST READ. The characters are real, the story compelling, and the twisty plotline all are in sync. I have to commend T. J. Stimson for a brilliant read!

Many Thanks to AVON Books, UK and NetGalley for a wonderful read!

Disturbing read that has left me quite unsettled. There’s a lot going on in this book and I do agree with some other reviewers that it is probably a few chapters too long, it’s deeply disturbing and the descriptions of poor Maddie as she negotiates the death of her son are heartbreaking.

I won’t give any spoilers, suffice to say that it’s shocking and dreadful and heartbreaking all at the same time

Wow...talk about a surprising story! Several times I thought I knew how it was going to play out, but I couldn't have been more wrong. The author really led me down a rabbit hole of suspects, completely leading me away from the actual murderer.

The author also writes the book so that we end up feeling we are just as paranoid and confused as the main character (or was that just me? LOL).

Thank you #Netgalley, the author and publisher for my free ARC in exchange for my honest review. I highly recommend this book.

This book chilled me deep into my core. I found myself trembling late at night when I finally finished the book. The ending of the story would stay with me for a long time just imagining that scene and its repercussions.

A new mother with 3 children and no sleep with post natal depression and memory lapses  made a soul crushing discovery one morning when she found her 2 month old child dead. Was it crib death or foul play?

Author T J Stimson has done a brilliant job making me run around in circles suspecting everyone. I loved the way each character appeared guilty; they definitely had their secrets. The characters around the mother sometimes appeared so supportive, and then there would be a truth released about them which would make me go back to suspecting them.

The plot had 2 stories running in 2 different timelines, and oh, I did think I knew it all and I felt quite righteous. But I wasn't. I guessed one part of the story, the other was a shock!! I loved the way the author has fitted the pieces of subplots, because it was that end picture which made me want to run away and escape the truth. The reality of that truth exposed in the finale was chilling.
Evil is found everywhere, sometimes more closer to home, isn't it?


Overall, I loved the book because it affected me badly and has still kept me in its grips, hours after reading it. The plot may seem familiar, but it has its twists. The ending though guess-able, still blew me away. Ah, definitely unputdownable!!

No spoilers! That makes this hard to review but darn it, it's worth the read. Maddie's got a lot- probably too much- on her plate. She's also experiencing blackouts. Hmm. When tragedy strikes, things come unglued. Who is Lydia? Her tale twists and turns around Maddie's and how these two come together might surprise you. Even if it doesn't, you'll find yourself totally immersed in the story. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Well written and with some cool plot twists, this is a very good read- perfect for travel.

Picture Of Innocence is packed with twists and turns - Some of which left me reeling. Each time I thought I'd figured out what had happened, I turned the page and found I was well off the mark. The book was so unpredictable, I was gripped and unable to stay away for long. 

It was hard to read in places, and definitely caused me to have more than one unsettled night's sleep.

The closing chapters left me open mouthed. So much so, I'd highly recommend reading it. (Perhaps not at bedtime though - unless you've got a heart of stone or aren't prone to nightmares).

Thank you to netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
5*****
Maddie, with three children, two under the age 3, is experiencing memory lapses where varying amount of time are unaccounted for. Then you are introduced to Lydia who did a bad, bad thing but was it done because of nature or nurture?
Let me just start by saying WOW! This was definitely top 5 of the best psychological thriller books I have ever read. This story was heart wrenching and very emotionally charged. It touched on very delicate and disturbing topics but was done in such a remarkable way. It had plenty of twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat. So many times throughout the book I thought I had it all figured out until a few pages later when another twist would come and I would find myself suspecting someone else right up till the last few pages!!! But really, that ending?! I did not see that one coming!