Sins of the Father by Sharon Bairden | Blog Tour Review

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 dark, haunting tale of secrets, betrayal and the devastating price of revenge." —T.M. Logan, author of The Holiday and The Catch.
Lucas Findlay thinks he has struck gold when he marries Rebecca, but she married him for one reason only – to destroy him.TRAUMA RUNS DEEPWhen her past comes back to haunt her, Rebecca begins to disconnect from herself and the world around her. As secrets are unearthed, she begins to fear for her sanity… and her life.TRUTH WILL OUTWith her world unravelling around her, Rebecca clings to her determination to make Lucas pay, whatever the cost.FORGIVE HIS SINSBut someone must pay for the sins of the father…
A chilling page-turner from a sharp new Scottish voice.
WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THIS DARK TALE OF REVENGE:

"Gritty and exciting, a rattling good story. A startling debut from Sharon Bairden." —Iain Maitland, author of Sweet William, Mr Todd’s Reckoning, The Scribbler….
"A dark, chilling page-turner of a debut. I couldn't put it down." —M.Sean Coleman, author of The Code and DownTime
"One of the most accomplished debuts I have ever read. Full of twists and turns and characters that jumped off the page." —Angela Marsons, author of the Detective Kim Stone series.
"A scintillating debut from an author whose writing crackles with promise." —Graham Smith, author of the Jake Boulder series.
"Authentic and raw, gritty and gripping. The depiction of unrelenting abuse is all the more powerful for happening mainly in the reader's mind; the portrait of severe mental illness as the only viable response is both harrowing and heart shattering. I yearned for this villain, for this wee soul, to find peace." —Susie Lynes, author of Valentina and The Housewarming.
"A complex web of deceit – raw, intense and emotive." —Noelle Holten, author of the Maggie Jamieson series.
"A debut of such accomplishment, heart and nuance, I'm reading with held breath and chewed nails." —Rob Parker, author of Far from the Tree and the Ben Bracken series.

Sins of the father.  History tells a tale that is resonated through time.  Children are a product of their upbringing.  Children have to suffer through their parents’ misdeeds and endeavours.  Often children have a nice and wholesome upbringing but more often a lot of children do not.  Sins of The Father is a tale that documents a quite frank abysmal upbringing of our protagonist, Rebecca through to adulthood and the impact abuse can have on an individual.  Life is anything but easy but there are factors that could significantly ease that journey. 

I am a complete goner for stories like this.  I love the atmosphere, the story-telling of something so basic and natural and to see the skill of it turned into something so evil and nightmarish, takes a true spinner of tales. 

Sins Of The Father is beyond extraordinary.

Sins of The Father is unlike any other psychological thrillers I’ve read in recent years.

Sins of The Father has dug its own path, with blood and sweat and tears.  Its freaking awesome. 

This was one seriously impressive debut from Sharon Bairden.  I was surprised to find out that Bairden hasn’t been doing this her entire life.  Her craft is well honed and exquisite.  She was able to slip into my psyche and take up residence, rent free.  She has certainly taken the worst that human nature can dig up and serve it to us in a well wrapped piece of art.  She can sit in the knowledge that her readers are both suitably shocked but in awe of how the author showcased the worst of humanity.  The plot is in a world of its own but before I touch on that let me just state how fantastical the narrative is.  It is so haunting that it is stunningly beautiful.  Bairden has concocted an absolute blinder. 

Rebecca has suffered horrific abuse and when her mother dies she ends up in the care system.  You would think this would give her a much-needed reprieve but alas it doesn’t ease her suffering, she is still dreadfully unhappy.  You can’t help but have a strong sense of empathy for her…Christ she has suffered so much, but as an adult it is difficult to have the same sense as she has developed into a character that is largely unlikable.  How many times have we read newspaper articles about children that live through horrific situations, but Sins of The Father really delves deeper…looks beyond those storylines and lets us see how far and how long the abuse stays with them. 

The story reminds us that there is always two sides to every story and we have perspectives from several different characters including Lucas.  I enjoyed the interaction between them, but I don’t want to say much more because it is just a book that you HAVE to read to be able to become at one with the darkness.  One thing it has done amazingly well is displaying the intricates of the slippery slope of human nature.  Nothing is clear cut, and everything is coloured in shades of grey.  This novel tackles difficult topics with a barrel of emotions and absolutely heart-breaking inspiring characters. 

ABOUT SHARON BAIRDEN

Debut author of Sins of the Father (Nov 2020); Published by Red Dog Press; also blogs over at Chapterinmylife.

Sharon Bairden is a blogger over at Chapterinmylife; she has now jumped over to the dark side and her debut novel, Sins of the Father will be published in November 2020

Sharon Bairden