The Puppet Master by Abigail Osbourne

Billie is hiding from the world in fear of a man who nearly destroyed her. But a chance meeting with budding journalist, Adam, sparks a relationship that could free her from her life of isolation and fear.

Unbeknownst to Billie, Adam knows exactly who Billie is and is determined to expose her and get justice for the lives he believes she has ruined. But first, he needs to convince her to open up to him. As an unwanted attraction blossoms between them, Adam comes to realise that all is not as it seems. 

Who is really pulling the strings? And are Adam and Billie both being played? 

One thing is for sure, The Master wants his puppets back – and he’ll do anything to keep them

About the author.

Abigail is originally from the Lake District but moved to the West Midlands for University where she completed an English Literature & History degree. She lives in Worcestershire with her husband and is a board game fanatic, owning over 70 games. She has a huge collection of books, plays the violin, and used to play the piano until her husband sold it because it was too heavy to keep moving. Save Her is Abigail’s second novel.

Review

‘The Puppet Master’ is an enticing, enthralling dark psychological thriller that was devilishly delicious to read. It deals with strong themes of abuse, emotional manipulation and physical violence but it is clear that the author has done a lot of research as it was a highly believable and honest portrayal of a young woman’s situation.

Billie is alone in the world and is in fact hiding away from everything. She has a routine and follows it to the letter, work, home and occasional trips to a bookshop. But, whilst in the bookshop cafe she happens to meet Adam, a young journalist, who may just tempt her into starting a life and have some joy. However, Adam recognised Billie as someone who destroyed his family and decides to befriend her to get her to admit the truth. Truth? But what is true and what is lies?

Oh, I just wanted to hug Billie as I was reading this. Abigail did such a good job writing this character. Billie’s vulnerability and truth shone through the pages. This is one of the rawest portrayals of this type of abuse and its consequences that I have read recently. In particular, the showdown to the story was spectacularly well written.

This was a highly captivating read that hooked me from the start. The pacing was great, the story was complex and well-plotted. I loved it!