One Step Behind By Lauren North

‘One Step Behind’ is the latest book by Lauren North.

Jenna is a wife, a mother, a doctor. She’s also the victim of a stalker. Every time she leaves her house, she sees him. Disturbing gifts are left at her door. Cruel emails are sent to her colleagues. She has no idea who this man is but she feels powerless against him. Until the day he is brought into her hospital after a serious accident, and Jenna is given the chance to find out once and for all why this man is tormenting her. Now, the power is all hers.

This week, I’ve been fortunate to have enjoyed some great thrillers this week and ‘One Step Behind’ was a genuinely addictive story that I was able to consume in one sitting.

The story starts at the moment that an unwanted gift is left at Jenna’s door. For months, she been tortured with unwanted notes and twisted gifts and a man has been following her every move and is trying to build a case against him. Jenna is a doctor in A&E and in the middle of her shift the man who’s been stalking her is brought in after being hit by a bus. Now, Jenna is left battling her morals wondering if she finally find out why he’s been targeting her and what his issue is. The story is also seen through the narrative of Sophie, she’s in a controlling relationship that she’s no longer happy in and wants to escape from. Her narrative is written in past and present tenses as she grows up her adopted brother called Matthew, who’s a quiet and troubled.

This book was the first book that I’ve read by Lauren North and I thought it was a really enjoyable psychological thriller, with unreliable characters, different narratives as well as a tense plotline filled with unwanted gifts and messages that left the reader on edge.

Right from the beginning, Lauren introduces the reader to the horrific ordeal that Jenna is going through and this moment really sets the tone for the story. The story focuses on stalking, control and obsession and there are moments of unsettling reading, especially with Sophie’s relationship. Her partner is controlling and monitoring her every move, taking advantage of quiet nature. I did find myself racing through the pages as I was dying to find out who the stalker was and the chapters are quite snappy so it was easy to get absorbed in the book.

Riddled with suspense and tension that keeps the reader engaged, ‘One Step Behind’ is a twisty psychological story that is cleverly written

You can buy ‘One Step Behind’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.