She never should have saved him.

When Alice Reed goes on her normal morning jog in the peaceful Swiss Alps, she never expected to save a man from suicide. But she does. And she shouldn’t have.

Adamant they have an instant connection Manfred’s charming exterior grows darker and his obsession with Alice grows stronger.

In a country far from home, where the police don’t believe her, the locals don’t trust her and even her husband questions the truth about Manfred, Alice has nowhere to turn.

To what lengths will Alice go to protect herself and her family?

Alice Reed, wife and mum, has relocated to Switzerland for her husband’s job, and as she doesn’t speak the local languages too well, she doesn’t feel fully integrated into the local neighbourhood. She thinks her neighbours disapprove of her and her English family, but she’s happy enough and content – if a little bored. To get rid of some of the tension she carries, and clear her head, she takes to running regularly in the beautiful mountains that surround her home.

On one particular day, not long after setting off, she runs across a local bridge and realises that a man is stood there, about to jump to his death. Alice realises that she is the only person about, and so intervenes, talking him down. Taken aback at this extraordinary event, she makes a snap decision and decides that the best place to take him to call for help is her nearby home. Very shortly afterwards realises what a  bad mistake she has made when the man, Manfred, starts to appear around the village, and more concerning, the places that Alice frequents, usually alone.

The authorities think Alice is a fantasist, and are not even going to consider that Manfred is a danger, especially as Alice keeps making decisions that make her look like a fantasist, leading to awkward conversations between her and pretty much everyone she comes into contact with.

The premise of this debut novel is great – do a good deed and then wish you hadn’t – or as my Nan used to say ‘No good turn goes unpunished’. In Alice’s case this is definitely true. This book was at times frustrating, as Alice made some unrealistic and irrational decisions and if I’m honest, I didn’t really like any of the character. However it’s a great idea, and the writing is beautifully descriptive and keeps the tension tight throughout.  I will look out for more from this author in future.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

3/5