Daniel has a difficult relationship with his mother Laura but not so disastrous that he doesn’t pay regular visits to see her but now he has a new woman in his life, the first woman to get passed his super-stud alter ego and he begins examining the life he has led and in particular the shadowy memories of his early years.
We first meet Laura in a police station cell, a powerful and seductive scene and one where Laura states that Daniel is my son. He has always been mine. And he always will be.
The story is told in alternating chapters from both protagonists viewpoints initially prior to the scene where Laura finds herself in prison. Where Laura’s testimony goes back in time to her earliest years for the most part Daniel’s is in the present time although with some reflection on his memories. There is no denying that both storylines are designed to push the reader’s emotional buttons as we hear about Daniel’s father who died in a car accident before the pair could marry, to Laura’s heartbreak during her own early life with an alcoholic mother and a doting Grandmother, the only solid person in her young life.
Maggie James takes the readers on a journey that is all the more shadowy as Laura refuses to talk to anyone, not a word is said, instead her words are for Daniel alone, an explanation, an expose of the damaging secrets that have remained hidden from everyone for many, many years. The author manages to convey the anger in Daniel, his part of the story although no less powerful is angrier and far more present and at times self-absorbed than Laura’s.
Unfortunately I’m not a big fan of lots of internal dialogue which because the construct of this book depends heavily on the hidden thoughts in each of the character’s minds, meant that although I was engaged by the storyline, it wasn’t one that I lost myself in, the way I prefer to read. This is just my own preference for storytelling. Because of my own sense of detachment, I was therefore bound to question the leaps that Daniel’s thought processes took at some points which moved the story along.
What I was impressed with was the way the author illustrated that how even a ‘good-news’ story for one character can have a knock-on effect on other characters, in good and not so good ways, after all no-one lives in a bubble and because these scenes were played out on the page rather than being filtered through the protagonists thoughts, I found them compelling. Be warned even when you think the worst that could happen, has already been and gone, there are more shocks in store for all involved.
His Kidnapper’s Shoes is a great book if you like the more thoughtful end of the psychological spectrum, to understand why someone might behave in to what most people would be an unthinkable way.
Having bought my copy of His Kidnapper’s Shoes in April 2014 this book fully qualified to be part of my Mount TBR Challenge 2017, being my thirty-third read.
First Published UK: December 2013
Publisher: Orella
No of Pages: 334
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Amazon UK
Amazon US
This looks interesting. Great review as always 🌸
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Thank you Lucy 🙂
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I read this one a while ago and it’s a great read – one of her best.
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I actually preferred the novella that I recently read, Blackwater Lake but that’s down to personal preference like so much of reading…
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I read this a few months ago and think I rated it similarly but for different reasons. It is engaging and a fairly easy read but I found it a little unbelievable. Laura’s story was too much and there were a few too many coincidences. Great review.
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That’s interesting, I had more issues with Daniel’s story and I completely understand your ‘too much’ comment.
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Thanks, as ever, Cleo, for your honest and thoughtful review. Internal dialogue in a story can be useful, but I agree that it has its limits, as any other author tool does. Still, the premise of the story sounds interesting. I’m glad you found some things to like about it.
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Thank you Margot – I think my tolerance for the internal dialogue was just too low for this particular book but there was plenty to keep me interested nonetheless.
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Despite your reservations, this one sounds quite a lot of fun to me! And it has a definite five-star title!
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It has a brilliant title and there was lots to enjoy – my reservations were personal preference, the book has lots of five star reviews.
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Sounds right up my alley. Have a great weekend.
sherry @ fundinmental
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I hope you enjoy it if you read it Sherry
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Great cover. Shows a bit of the story, doesn’t it. I think I’d enjoy this one. Thanks for sharing your review.
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I’m now curious about this one, although the internal dialogues sound frustrating. Thanks for sharing.
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Yes internal dialogues have their place but I just felt the balance was not quite right for me in this one.
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Pity this one wasn’t to your taste so much, but wow! You’re powering along on your Mount TBR challenge now – what’s your target? 36?
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I’m resigned to not quite meeting the target of 36 for Mount TBR but the challenge has kept me focussed on shifting some of the older books on the TBR so I’ve signed up for next year.
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