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Beneath the Lens
From a distance, the Meridians look perfectly focused.
Storybook marriage. Beautiful baby. Nice house in a nice neighborhood.
All they’re missing is the family portrait on the wall.
Up close, the picture blurs.
Since the birth of their daughter, Isla, Ashley and Cole have been drifting out of frame. Missed touches, quiet resentments, a marriage running on muscle memory and denial. So Ashley does what people do when real life stops she hires someone to fix it.
Enter Tori Reyes, an acclaimed photographer, with a gift for turning strangers into art. Ashley asks for a beautiful lie, one perfect image to prove they’re still the family everyone thinks they are.
Tori sees more than that.
She sees the faults. The cracks. The parts of their life she’d crop, sharpen, or even replace. And the longer her lens is trained on the Meridians, the less interested she seems in taking their picture…and the more interested she seems in stepping into it.
In this twisted story of jealousy, deception, and desire, one exhausted mother will be pushed to discover just how far she’ll go to protect her child, her marriage, and the version of her life the world believes.
No matter what she must become...
Beneath the Lens.Think The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, meets Behind Closed Doors and Sometimes I Obsession, infiltration, and wild twists that don’t let you breathe…
Storybook marriage. Beautiful baby. Nice house in a nice neighborhood.
All they’re missing is the family portrait on the wall.
Up close, the picture blurs.
Since the birth of their daughter, Isla, Ashley and Cole have been drifting out of frame. Missed touches, quiet resentments, a marriage running on muscle memory and denial. So Ashley does what people do when real life stops she hires someone to fix it.
Enter Tori Reyes, an acclaimed photographer, with a gift for turning strangers into art. Ashley asks for a beautiful lie, one perfect image to prove they’re still the family everyone thinks they are.
Tori sees more than that.
She sees the faults. The cracks. The parts of their life she’d crop, sharpen, or even replace. And the longer her lens is trained on the Meridians, the less interested she seems in taking their picture…and the more interested she seems in stepping into it.
In this twisted story of jealousy, deception, and desire, one exhausted mother will be pushed to discover just how far she’ll go to protect her child, her marriage, and the version of her life the world believes.
No matter what she must become...
Beneath the Lens.Think The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, meets Behind Closed Doors and Sometimes I Obsession, infiltration, and wild twists that don’t let you breathe…
461 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 7, 2025
3 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 25, 2026
Tight, tense, and utterly captivating. The epitome of a psychological thriller.
Fans of Freida McFadden and Mary Kubica take notice. Travis Wake has penned an absolute winner that checks all the thriller boxes and then some. Artfully depicted scenes that are equally tight and suspenseful. That's incredibly hard to pull off and Wake seems to do it with ease. The characters have a complexity that feels natural rather than forced, in a way that makes them feel all too real and interesting, as if they could be your friends or neighbors. With an expertly crafted plot, the pacing is flawlessly executed. Tension builds well. Conversations feel natural. Lies and betrayal hit like a punch to the gut.
To say I really enjoyed this book is an understatement. I read a lot of books. And this story lingers long after you've finished it. You get upset when you have to get back to adulting and take even a moment's break from reading this. You can and probably will stay up reading this in one sitting. Wake is an apt name because you won't be able to sleep until you finish this book.
Tell your friends. Tell your book club.
Travis Wake is the up and coming author you're going to want to catch now.
Fans of Freida McFadden and Mary Kubica take notice. Travis Wake has penned an absolute winner that checks all the thriller boxes and then some. Artfully depicted scenes that are equally tight and suspenseful. That's incredibly hard to pull off and Wake seems to do it with ease. The characters have a complexity that feels natural rather than forced, in a way that makes them feel all too real and interesting, as if they could be your friends or neighbors. With an expertly crafted plot, the pacing is flawlessly executed. Tension builds well. Conversations feel natural. Lies and betrayal hit like a punch to the gut.
To say I really enjoyed this book is an understatement. I read a lot of books. And this story lingers long after you've finished it. You get upset when you have to get back to adulting and take even a moment's break from reading this. You can and probably will stay up reading this in one sitting. Wake is an apt name because you won't be able to sleep until you finish this book.
Tell your friends. Tell your book club.
Travis Wake is the up and coming author you're going to want to catch now.
January 21, 2026
Dark and Tense
Beneath the Lens blurs obsession and reality in unsettling ways. The characters feel raw and real, and the twists keep coming. A gripping read that explores motherhood, marriage, and how far someone will go to protect their life’s image.
Beneath the Lens blurs obsession and reality in unsettling ways. The characters feel raw and real, and the twists keep coming. A gripping read that explores motherhood, marriage, and how far someone will go to protect their life’s image.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews