The Family Trap by Lorna Dounaeva

Release: December 4th 2022
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Inkubator
Source: Zooloos Book Tours
Find it at: Goodreads, Amazon
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Prudence welcomed Zoe into her home. Now she’s fighting to survive. Two simple words shatter Prudence Ahern’s world – “I’m pregnant.” Her son Nathan is only eighteen when his new girlfriend Zoe drops that little bombshell. Prudence feels she has to support her son and asks Zoe to move in with them. Right from the start, Prudence knows something isn’t right. When Nathan is around, Zoe is sweet and funny but as soon as it’s just the two of them, she becomes menacing and sullen. Worse still, Prudence becomes the victim of a series of increasingly dangerous accidents which begin soon after Zoe moves in. She tries to warn her son that something is wrong with Zoe, but he refuses to listen, so it’s left to Prudence to figure out what’s going on. Who is the mysterious Zoe? What exactly does she want from them? And whose child is she really carrying? Filled with shocking twists and diabolical secrets, The Family Trap will keep you up all night. If you loved Gone Girl, The Silent Patient and The Girl on the Train, you will devour this utterly addictive thriller.

About the Author:

Lorna Dounaeva has a Masters in European Studies and used to work at the Home Office before turning to crime fiction. She lives in Godalming, Surrey with her husband, three children and a crafty cat. Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

The Family Trap Review:

“The Family Trap” is a unique suspense thriller with a distinctive concept that I enjoyed reading.

Firstly, I enjoyed the premise of this thriller. It surrounds the dynamic between a mother and her son’s girlfriend as the girlfriend gets pregnant and moves in. I liked the tense dynamic between Prudence and Zoe. Prudence feels protective towards her son Nathan when Zoe enters their lives. Zoe creeped me out immediately, especially with the weird emails she sent to her father. The author adds a few quick twists and shocking deaths that I did not anticipate. Some surprising moments in the tale are the incident in the nursery when Prudence is present or when we find out what happens to Bob.

Prudence is my favorite in the story, and I admired how she managed to give Zoe multiple chances, even though she suspected her of foul play. Even the supporting characters like Heidi and Alana were memorable. Heidi also got on my nerves as she took Zoe’s side more than Prudence’s, even though she is supposed to be Prudence’s close friend. The author makes all the characters memorable because they behave and do things you don’t necessarily approve of, but you understand their intentions.

Perhaps the only minor criticism was how the story went on a different tangent toward the climax. While I liked how the author gave a twisted ending, looking back, it did not justify why some of the characters behaved that way.

Overall, “The Family Trap” starts slowly but has a fast-paced second half with a surprising ending, making it worth reading.