Jessica Knoll delivers another gripping and unsettling thriller that is both compulsively readable and emotionally confronting.

Helpless draws the reader in quickly, blending psychological tension with sharp social observation. Knoll has a talent for writing flawed, complex characters and placing them in situations that feel disturbingly plausible. The pacing is excellent — I found myself constantly wanting to read just one more chapter.

Beyond the suspense, this novel explores themes of vulnerability, power, and the ways people are pushed to their limits. It’s uncomfortable in places, but deliberately so, and that’s part of what makes it such a strong read. Fans of Knoll’s previous work will not be disappointed, and new readers will quickly understand why her thrillers generate so much discussion.

Faye is in one of those marriages or relationships with her husband where you just think "no,no no" and then you want to tell her that going to someone else, seeking the past, seeing an old flame isn't going to heal you or fix your current. the damage in your marriage wont be helped by seeking feeling elsewhere and infact your look unto your old flame is not cool, not sensible, and not safe.
there was so much dysfunction in this book. you can feel like like a character all on its own.
the Psychological aspect of this book was right up my street. its not just a dark or mystery plot. it goes deeper, means deeper and is explained by there being more to it than good and bad, good and evil.
the tension is built on those emotions and deeper working of the book and people. you cant help but feel unease the whole different levels.
Faye is right now in a almost Hollywood duo of a marriage. shes doing well in her own right with her role of Hollywood producer. and her husband is a successful one in his own right.
when an old and beloved college professor of her passes away she has to head back for his funeral. but there is already parts to this past of her that will make this a hard place to confront or be faced with once again.
for this also means meeting Henry once again. there is so much complexity to this pair. not least how it ended and then how it even featured in what made her the person she is today in the public eye with what she made of their relationship.
things couldn't have been guessed at next though. because the darkness doesn't cover her waking up having been kidnapped and taken somewhere secluded by Hnry himself. going back was going to be the wordt mistake ever.
but what does Hnery want? is it how she portrayed him to the world that he wants justice or revenge for? or is there something esle and more sinsister at play? what hes saying doesnt even begin to make sense. this leaves Faye and us readers questioning and confused. are we being lied to and by whom?
their connection is still bizarrely strong and the damage magnet is all too strong. but this kind is never true in the real terms. and almost always harmful or will be. there is nothing healthy about whats going on here no matter how intense. and the thing is. you miss harmful things when you are hurting in the mind or things arent going wrong in life. otherwise why would the worse way to cope be done by people who are very ill?
you can see the layers of toxicity in this pair. and you bet and then realise how much this was in their past too. what Faye was finding and also trying to escape in this and her own family felt like a real smart choice. but those ripple and effect continue. especially if they come back into your life at a tough or vulnerable time.
the characters in this book are so well done in the absolute toxic and poorly sense of them. this is such a deeply understood look into these kind of characters and just what that spiral and connection is like inside these kind of relationships. it makes you fearful and sad. it makes you understand so much if you can look at it with real thought of the insight it is giving you. and when someone says or you see a toxic relationship happening in real life this is the kind of book that will bring you up short if you ever judged or lessened the impact on the victims within it or having to break free or heal from it.
a raw,exposing and real look with a story built around some huge and important but hard themes.
it sounds weird to say i enjoyed this book. but you know what i mean!?