Apartment Six by Stuart James

Book review

Synopsis

Would you have the courage to escape?

Be careful what you wish for …

When Meagan was five years old her mother was viciously attacked and murdered.

Now an adult, she herself is the victim of an abusive relationship. Meagan is desperate to escape but doesn’t have the courage to leave.

So, when Meagan meets Oliver, a decent guy who is on the rebound after a failed relationship, the two strike up a connection. But when Meagan confesses that her husband is abusive, it leads Oliver down a dark and dangerous path.

Just how far would you go to protect someone?

Oliver is about to find out and be pushed to his very limits …

My review

In the tense opening chapter of the book, we are introduced to five-year-old Meagan who calls 999 after witnessing her parents arguing. She tells the lady on the other end of the phone that her mummy is lying at the bottom of the stairs and isn’t moving and says her daddy did it. She hides in the cupboard when asked to do so and, luckily, the emergency services arrive just in time.

Twenty years later, Meagan repeats the cycle and is in an abusive relationship with controlling husband Rob, who has ‘taken every drop of confidence away … draining her of self-belief with his constant cruel jibes, sarcasm, his sneers and continuous insults.’ She is constantly anxious and on edge, worrying about trivial things like creaking floorboards and the state of the shower, and petrified about what Rob is going to say or do to her if she’s done something that he disapproves of.

Oliver Simmonds, a PA for a high-class law firm in Mayfair, has recently split up from his long-term girlfriend, Claire, with whom he shared an apartment in Chelsea. He meets Meagan on the underground train to work one morning – she’s heading to her job as a nanny – and they slowly get closer and begin an affair. Meagan is covered in cuts and bruises and she confesses to Oliver about how Rob treats her and he witnesses it himself when he follows her home one evening.

Oliver is falling for Meagan and when she asks him to help her escape from Rob, he is so smitten that he fairly readily agrees, even though she keeps hounding him and despite what Meagan is asking him to do. I don’t want to spoil the plot and all the action that follows but I will say that things take an even more sinister turn at this point and there are dire consequences for all concerned.

With flashbacks to the past, we learnt more about Meagan’s difficult toxic childhood with her parents, Tricia and Sean, and we read about the shocking abuse, both physical and mental, that her father carried out on her mother. We’re also introduced to her oldest friend, Sarah, who used to live across the road when they were children and they’re still friends in the present day.

Despite the subject matter, this was an enjoyable but rather terrifying read with lots of misdirection, twists and turns! I had an inkling how things would turn out but I was actually completely wrong! The book was cleverly written and plotted and the characters were well drawn too. None of them could be trusted and I didn’t really like anyone apart from the old lady in Meagan’s building, Mrs Sheehan!

Overall, I really enjoyed this gripping and exciting psychological thriller. There were some really tense, frightening moments and I was holding my breath to see how things turned out. The ending was slightly far fetched but the book was fast paced and very entertaining and I could definitely see this being turned into a film!

I’m looking forward to reading the author’s previous books: I already have Turn the Other Way on my Kindle and I hear The House on Rectory Lane is going to be re-released later this year too.

Buy the book

Apartment Six by Stuart James can be purchased from Amazon on Kindle and in paperback.

About the author

Stuart James has always been a fan of scary stories, since a very early age, and loves nothing more than to put pen to paper and develop his terrifying ideas. He is a keen singer/songwriter and sang in a band for 20 years.

He’s an amateur magician, is married with two teenage children and his other hobbies are reading and keeping fit. Stuart currently he lives in Hertfordshire with his family, French Bulldog called Hugo and tabby cat named Amber.

He will always interact with his readers and loves nothing more than receiving messages on social media from people who enjoy his books. He is keen to write for years to come, and his dream is to see one of his thrillers on the small screen. That really would be his dream come true.

Twitter: @StuartJames73
Facebook: @stuartjamesauthor
Website: https://www.stuartjamesthrillers.com