Blog Tour: Woman on the Edge by Samantha M. Bailey

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

A moment on the subway platform changes two women’s lives forever—a debut thriller that will take your breath away.
A total stranger on the subway platform whispers, “Take my baby.”
She places her child in your arms. She says your name.
Then she jumps...
In a split second, Morgan Kincaid’s life changes forever. She’s on her way home from work when a mother begs her to take her baby, then places the infant in her arms. Before Morgan can stop her, the distraught mother jumps in front of an oncoming train.
Morgan has never seen this woman before, and she can’t understand what would cause a person to give away her child and take her own life. She also can’t understand how this woman knew her name.
The police take Morgan in for questioning. She soon learns that the woman who jumped was Nicole Markham, prominent CEO of the athletic brand Breathe. She also learns that no witness can corroborate her version of events, which means she’s just become a murder suspect.
To prove her innocence, Morgan frantically retraces the last days of Nicole’s life. Was Nicole a new mother struggling with paranoia or was she in danger? When strange things start happening to Morgan, she suddenly realizes she might be in danger, too.
Woman on the Edge is a pulse-pounding, propulsive thriller about the lengths to which a woman will go to protect her baby—even if that means sacrificing her own life.

Today I’m hosting the blog tour for Woman on the Edge by Samantha M. Bailey.  Thank you to Anne Cater at Random Things tours and the publisher for having me and providing me with a copy of the book.  Headline Publishing are really knocking it out of the park recently with their edge of the seat thrillers. 

A woman with a past, trauma, fear and suffering.  She’s now strong and independent, married to a husband that supports her, pregnant with a surprise but much wanted baby and a thriving company that she’s built from the bottom up.  She gives birth to a sweet baby girl, Quinn and then the problems begin.  Paranoia and obsession lurk in the shadows becoming a dominant presence in the recesses of her mind. 

My heart broke whilst reading the novel.  As a fellow sufferer of Post Natal Depression, it was close to my heart.  Unfortunately becoming a mother isn’t the beautiful, sunshine and rainbows experience for everyone.  Its evil and disturbing but the story is utterly compelling.  Little Quinn warmed my heart and the interactions between mother and child brought a genuine tear to my eye.  I could picture her bubbly little laughs, her twinkling big eyes and her infectious aura.  She brought light to an otherwise dark existence.  From the start you know that Nicole has suffered hurt, to see her fall from grace, from high powered business woman to struggling mother.  The theme is both moving and heartfelt but with a core of pure tension. 

As a mother myself I could totally relate to the feelings Nicole had as a new mother, especially of a first born.  The feelings are new, you love this little bundle with such a fierce intensity and a maternal instinct that would propel you forward to do anything for your baby.  Nicole developed such a strong bond with her daughter that she didn’t want to put her down, have others care for her or sleep in case something terrible happened to her.  How many mothers can associate that strong feeling in the early weeks?  It’s such a relatable topic and so terrifyingly real. 

Nicole’s plight had such an intense emotional reaction in me.  Going through the story knowing what happened to Nicole, her presence had the haunting ambiance of a ghost.  You knew how it was going to transcend but the lead up was cruel, but the narrative was glorious.  It was dangerously addictive until the final truth will out. 

The story is told in dual prospective, Nicole and Morgan.  Both women were extremely relatable, and you were ready to follow them straight to hell.  Their experiences were similar, and Morgan made forthright decisions to take back control of her life.  They were needed to bring her to a point when all was right with the world again.  The author has an extremely talented knack for writing characters that connect with the reader in the most mesmerising fashion. 

“Take My Baby.”

Woman on the Edge is a throat punch.  I cried, I was angry, and I just couldn’t stop turning the pages.  A landslide to the heart.  Tragedy but with a large helping of healing.  Complex and suspenseful.  Sharp edged and claustrophobic.  A perfect read for those cosy winter nights.

I’m a Toronto-based journalist and freelance editor who’s written extensively for Now Magazine, Oxford University Press, and several other publications. I’m also the co-founder of “BookBuzz,” a promotional and interactive author-reader event held in New York City and Toronto that has attracted the attention of prominent publicists, influential media, and bestselling authors. I hold a Master of Education in Applied Linguistics and credit that degree with my writing career because I wrote my first novel while taking a course on imagination. Now my imagination leads me to create dark and twisty stories, and my debut psychological thriller, WOMAN ON THE EDGE, will be published in nine countries world-wide, including with Garzanti in Italy, Roca Editorial in Spain, Heyne in Germany, General Press in Hungary, Euromedia in the Czech Republic, Ikar in Slovakia, Znak in Poland, and in North America with Simon and Schuster Canada, and the UK with Headline.

I love reading as much as I love writing so if I’m not tapping away at my computer, I’m probably curled up on my couch with a book.