Title: BEHIND THE MASK
Author: Jeanette Taylor Ford
ISBN: 9781999310752
Publisher: Samona Publishing
Pages: 274
Source: Review copy from Publisher
Tour Organised by Random Things Tours
Gary Roper is a man behind a mask. His wife, Daisy, knows what’s underneath that mask, and finally manages to run away, to establish a new life at River View, working for Lucy Baxter. Roper is determined to find her, but in the meantime, he has to toe the line to his boss, gangster Terence Johns. The many faces of Roper are employed on his journey to find his wife, leaving chaos in his wake. In her place of security, Daisy finds firm friends and a new love, unaware that he, also, wears a mask…
Official Summary
Book five of the River View Mysteries.
I have not had the privilege of reading the other books in this series, so Behind The Mask is my first taste of this series. What a wonderful introduction, this book has everything crime/mystery fans enjoys. Domestic violence, murder and a gang run by a ruthless manipulator.
I enjoyed the author’s work on the dialogue in this book. I could hear the character’s accents as I was reading. I found myself lost in a world far removed from my everyday life making this an extremely entertaining read.
Daisy is a young woman suffering an abusive husband who leaves her feeling she is to blame. Gary used to be a nice guy, but Daisy is not sure what she has done to turn him so mean and nasty. When her boss finally convinces her to leave, she runs away and finds safety at River View.
While Daisy finds friendship and security as she builds a new life, she is unaware that Gary is determined to tracker her down. He will not let her go. While Gary faces the challenges of trying to escape his gangster boss, he does not give a second thought to the chaos he leaves in his wake.
As Daisy finds a new love, she soon discovers Gary on her doorstep which leads to disaster, and she finds out her new love has secrets of his own he is keeping from her.
Behind The Mask is a gripping read, full of action and lots of surprises along the way. You are drawn into Daisy’s world of abuse and uncertainty, and you are happy when she manages to escape and find a better life for herself. Yet, you know it’s a matter of time before Gary finds her. Reading Gary’s exploits as they unfold you are left amazed at how violent and unreasonable he can be. Your heart breaks while you wait for him to find Daisy.
There are a lot of characters in this book, making it hard to pick a favourite. I enjoyed the Taylor men, they were in over their heads and found a way to escape a bad situation. Even if they broke the law to escape, I rooted for them all the way – if only they didn’t help Gary.
The author did a great job with Gary – she created an evil man you disliked from beginning to end. Daisy was sweet and innocent and I was thrilled when she found someone to love her. When Adam turns out to be more than he appears my heart broke for Daisy. She did not need another man wearing a mask in her life.
Behind The Mask was filled with violence, showing how easily an abusive relationship can lead to disasters. My heart broke for Daisy. However, it was a gripping read that leaves you amazed every time Gary did something new. The man was a piece of work.
Crime and mystery fans will find it hard to put this one down – if like me, you haven’t read the other books in the series, not to worry, you can read this book without feeling like you have missed something along the way.
Author bio from the publisher
I’m a lifetime bookworm! From reading to my children to now creating stories of my own, books have always been a large, important part of my life. Those who have read my stories have enjoyed them, so I finally decided to inflict them upon the world in general. Some of them are ghostly tales, combined with loveable characters and interesting situations which make them ghost stories with a difference. However, I also write children’s stories, the first of which, ‘Robin’s Ring’ is published and I’m working on another Robin story. My new series, The River View Series, presents mild mysteries with a difference – and are set in my beloved Herefordshire.
Much to our youngest daughter’s disgust, I love old buildings, castles, mansions, historical places, especially ruined buildings and they are often the inspiration for my stories.
My retirement from my job as a teaching assistant has given me the opportunity to indulge my love of writing and I ask for no more than to give pleasure to my readers. When not writing, I’m making cards, singing in a ladies’ choir, doing Family History and all sorts of other things. I am married to Tony, a retired teacher, and we have six children and seven grandchildren. We live near Nottingham, England.
Thank you to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for including me in this blog tour. I look forward to reading the other books in this series. My TBR grows with every tour I participate in. I am sure if I will ever get to read all the books on my wish list, oh well I can only try.
Have you read any books in the River View Series? Which is your favourite? Leave a comment below.
As always thank you for taking the time to read my review, I hope you enjoy Behind The Mask! Until next time… Happy Reading!
Great review, I will put this on my list to read!
It’s a great read!
Thanks so much for the blog tour support x
Always a pleasure
I’m very happy you enjoyed my story and hope, if you ever have time, you might read some of the others in the series. Thank you so much for this wonderful review.
I have added them too my wish list – my birthday is next month so I hope to get some of them.