Published By: Penguin
Pages: 368
Released On: 02/07/2026
Leo thought he knew his wife. Until she disappeared.
When Addison Kennedy fails to return from their safari lodge, her husband flies out to South Africa to find her.
But when he arrives, he discovers a missing poster – and it isn’t Addison’s face staring back at him. It’s his. His name. His details. His photograph.
His wife might be missing but it’s him they’re hunting . . .
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
I’ve only read one Nikki Smith before – They Had It Coming – but she’s already become a name I look out for for unique, intelligent thrillers.
You need your wits about you because it flits backwards and forwards in time and whilst I quite enjoy books that do that, it did take me a little while to get my head around it. Would I have preferred if it had been in chronological order? From an ease perspective, yes. But I can see why she’s chosen to write it this way and it does make it ore intense and chaotic, which is the vibe this book needs.
It’s very prose heavy and dialogue light which is my preference. I find it’s easier for the reader to insert themselves in the scene and makes it easier to follow.
The first 1/3 or so is slower, a slow burn. It’s setting the scene, introducing the characters, dripping in the red herrings and whatnot, so that when it starts to gain pace in the second half you are really thrown into it. But no matter the pacing, it felt quick to read and I had it read in less than a day.
I didn’t find any of the three main characters likeable, but I actually think that worked in its favour. I can’t really explain why, but there’s this grittiness about it that would feel at odds with peppy, upbeat, likeable people.
This is set between London and South Africa, and I don’t think I’ve read any, or at least many, books set in South Africa and it’s described so beautifully, it really helps add to the atmosphere.
A few of the twists felt familiar. If you’re like me and read a lot of thrillers (my most read genre) then some tropes do feel familiar but it’s what I want and expect from a thriller. And she’s got enough differences to make it feel fresh and original and enjoyable so you’re not just reading the same story over again.
I am notoriously rubbish at working out the end of a thriller so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I didn’t get the big one in this. I really tried, working out all the clues she’s given us, but the big TA-DA moment? No clue.
She drip feeds you cliff-hangers at the end of each chapter that grab you and make you want to read the next one – not that I needed any persuasion.
Books By Your Bedside 