“NATURE PERSEVERES, UNTIL BALANCE IS RESTORED”

2 weeks before her wedding, Amy is approached by an unknown woman who warns her that her fiancée is not who she thinks he is and that she is in danger. That night she’s asked to make a delivery to a non-existing address. Back home, she has an uneasy feeling. The following morning she discovers that her fiancée has not come back home and as his phone goes straight to voicemail, she contacts the police. Things get even worse when she receives a large, expensive bouquet that’s put in blood instead of in water.
Then, another woman also reports her partner missing. It is Matt and according to her he was going to leave Amy for her the night he disappeared.
It doesn’t take long before the police arrest Amy for murder. But doesn’t Fiona have just as much motive? And without a body, can the police make these accusations stand up in court? Daughter Jess starts her own investigation.
Both woman hide a shared past, that’s slowly revealed to the reader.
This psychological thriller is alternatingly told by both women, that both have a completely different picture of the missing man. This causes repetition of facts sometimes, but usually, there are slight differences between both versions of the truth. Is one of them lying or is Matt a complete psychopath? You also don’t know if they’re reliable narrators or not. There are short interjections by Jess, Amy’s daughter and by an unidentified witness of some youthful hidden secrets from 1996.
The characters are realistic and believable. It gives a very good picture of how women can be ‘gaslighted’ (a new but understandable term for me) and manipulated into believing they’re worthless and deserve to be humiliated and abused. I felt deeply for Amy’s ordeal, but couldn’t relate to Fiona in the same way.
The book was also informative about the meaning of various plants, herbs, and flowers and how they can be used in herbal remedies. Especially the ‘alchemists curse’ or the power of intent was a meaningful message. It advocates the use of herbal remedies without going to extremes as ruling out the consultation of medical practitioners
You’re left in limbo whether or not one or both women have something to do with the disappearance. I figured out the real story about halfway, but I had to read on to be certain. It was a fairly logical ending. This was my first book by this author, but I’ll try more of them.
I thank Netgalley and Avon Books UK for the free ARC they provided and this is my honest unbiased review of it.