Nothing is as it seems
Rachel Jordan is about to become homeless. Although her rich father, Frank Jordan, had provided her with a house and a year’s mortgage payment, a series of subsequent bad decisions and trust in the wrong people had led to her home being wrecked and her mortgage now in arrears. Therefore, when Michael Barrington – the enigmatic boss of a successful company in the East End of London – offers her a great job as a management consultant, she sees it as the answer to all her prayers.
At first the job seems to be perfect, but it soon turns into a nightmare when Michael suddenly moves Rachel from her comfortable private office on the first floor to a cramped subterranean one downstairs in the basement. Worst still, to reach the room she must descend through a trap door located in the floor above, then follow a narrow, poorly lit underground passageway. Confined in a windowless space with three other people – all of whom are seemingly reluctant to interact with her – it is little wonder that Rachel starts to feel claustrophobic and trapped, allowing her phobias and bad memories to take control.
Forced to work in the evenings alone, Rachel begins to hear noises from the seemingly empty rooms above; a woman crying and a dog barking. As the building has a tragic past, she initially concludes her mind is playing tricks, but then later dismisses that theory when she hears Michael return to the building one evening with another person. An angry altercation then ensues, during which Rachel recognises the stranger’s voice. Shocked by what she hears, and left with more questions than answers, she then decides it’s time to discover the truth about Michael Barrington and his associates … even if it puts her own life in danger.
‘Trap Door’ is an engrossing, creepy psychological thriller, and certainly one of the best I have read in a while. Its dramatic start immediately provides the reader with a mystery. Then, through a series of unexpected circumstances, disturbing incidents, and a gradual introduction of a backstory, it proceeds to solve that mystery.
Told mainly in the first person, but reverting to the third for past events, the storyline is both intriguing and compelling. Nothing is as it seems, and nobody is entirely innocent. Secrets lurk around every corner, but the full picture remains steadfastly hidden. The explosive ending when it comes is a complete shock.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can highly recommend it, so much so that I have just purchased another one by the same author.
At first the job seems to be perfect, but it soon turns into a nightmare when Michael suddenly moves Rachel from her comfortable private office on the first floor to a cramped subterranean one downstairs in the basement. Worst still, to reach the room she must descend through a trap door located in the floor above, then follow a narrow, poorly lit underground passageway. Confined in a windowless space with three other people – all of whom are seemingly reluctant to interact with her – it is little wonder that Rachel starts to feel claustrophobic and trapped, allowing her phobias and bad memories to take control.
Forced to work in the evenings alone, Rachel begins to hear noises from the seemingly empty rooms above; a woman crying and a dog barking. As the building has a tragic past, she initially concludes her mind is playing tricks, but then later dismisses that theory when she hears Michael return to the building one evening with another person. An angry altercation then ensues, during which Rachel recognises the stranger’s voice. Shocked by what she hears, and left with more questions than answers, she then decides it’s time to discover the truth about Michael Barrington and his associates … even if it puts her own life in danger.
‘Trap Door’ is an engrossing, creepy psychological thriller, and certainly one of the best I have read in a while. Its dramatic start immediately provides the reader with a mystery. Then, through a series of unexpected circumstances, disturbing incidents, and a gradual introduction of a backstory, it proceeds to solve that mystery.
Told mainly in the first person, but reverting to the third for past events, the storyline is both intriguing and compelling. Nothing is as it seems, and nobody is entirely innocent. Secrets lurk around every corner, but the full picture remains steadfastly hidden. The explosive ending when it comes is a complete shock.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can highly recommend it, so much so that I have just purchased another one by the same author.
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