3.4

It’s no secret that I find domestic thrillers insanely addictive. There are times when I have finished a book in just a day, soaking up the adrenaline and suspense it has to offer. But the downside of such books is that it leaves no scope for imperfections. Loopholes and silly mistakes are often recipes for disaster. I went in to read The Babysitter with high expectations having read very good reviews of it on goodreads and I really did enjoy the first half of it. But quickly things started to fall apart in the second half. The pacing of the story felt a bit off. But this is the sort of story that has the ability to win over a major chunk of readers so you may as well like it.

Claudia is out on parole after a 10 year imprisonment for a crime she thinks she didn’t commit. When her daughter, Tilly goes missing 10 years ago, Claudia is taken into custody based on her mental health issues in the past. When she is finally released, she comes with the mission of finding her lost daughter and to find the real culprit. It doesn’t take long for her to realise that her ex-husband’s current wife and her babysitter may be involved in her daughter’s disappearance. Curtis builds a story around these three women, adding twists and turns that keeps you guessing.

When I sat down with this novel, I was quite convinced that I’d end up liking it because it had all the makings of a perfect domestic thriller. While the first half was perfect, it was the latter part of the book that didn’t work for me. It felt as though Curtis’s hold on the story slackened a bit which led to a chaotic and messy climax. The characters were interesting enough but not all of them could shoulder the responsibility of carrying the story. Nevertheless, this was a quick read and may very well work others. And this certainly won’t be the last time I’d be reading something by Curtis.