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The Woman at Number 19- J.A Baker- Psychological thriller.

Esther sits at her window and watches the world go by. From her mannerisms and self

description you begin to think that she is an old lady however Esther is only 45. She has

lost her husband and both children in a road traffic accident. Her sister Charlotte was

also in the car with them and Esther blames her for the accident believing that Charlotte

was having an affair with her husband. Esther keeps finding  odd things around the house

- torn up photographs of the children- something she wouldn’t have done herself. Amy is a

nurse and pops in to see Esther often and her visits are saving Esther by her own admission

from sinking into depression and she treasures the time they spend together. A new focus

for Esther is watching the woman across the road at number nineteen, who appears to have

rather a temper and Esther has seen her slapping her children. She decides that the best

way she can help is to watch and make notes before reporting her. This is mainly written

in the first person from Esther which gives the reader a perspective of her world and how

she thinks. Having read several of J.A Bakers novels before, I suspected that there was

something more than what was on the surface. My emotions rolled from highs to

lows. I won’t spoil anything but at times I really felt for Esther and her situation.

I have my own top rating 5** for books that are something special, the ones

that have that something extra and this one deserves it in spades.

Stunning doesn’t do it justice.

The Woman at Number 19 blurb Esther lost her husband, Julian, and her children, Harriet and Dexter, in a car accident and is struggling with her grief. Her only friend is Amy, a young lady who lives close by and visits Esther to keep her company. Esther’s sister, Charlotte, also visits from time to time but Esther despises her. She believes that Charlotte had an affair with Julian and was planning to run off with him and the children on the same journey that killed her family and left Charlotte seriously injured. From her window, Esther watches her new neighbour and becomes concerned about the erratic and abusive behaviour she displays towards her husband and children. Spurred on by her own loneliness and a need to make amends for not being able to save her own children, Esther takes it upon herself to watch the woman who lives at number 19 and keep a record of her cruelty with a mind to reporting it to the authorities. When unexplainable incidents begin to happen in Esther’s house, she begins to fear for her safety and as more and more strangers appear in her life uninvited, she becomes bewildered and disorientated. Meanwhile, over at number 19, the woman’s behaviour is becoming more explosive and unpredictable. As Esther starts to lose her grip on reality, her world begins to unravel, leaving her wondering - just who is this strange woman at number 19 and why is Esther so obsessed with her?

Author Profile J.A. BAKER was born and brought up in North East England and has had a love of language for as long as she can remember. She has an interest in local history and genealogy and enjoys reading many genres of books but especially enjoys psychological thrillers. J.A. Baker has four grown-up children and a grandchild and lives in a village near Darlington with her husband and madcap dog. Her first book, Undercurrent was published by Bloodhound Books in March 2017 and went straight into the Top 100. Since then she has had five other books released, three of which also made it into the Amazon Top 100 rankings. The Woman at Number 19 is her 7th novel.