Circle of Betrayal is a book first and foremost about marriage and relationships and how all is not always as it seems. As clearly outlined in the title of the novel, betrayal is also a theme that is woven throughout and is intrinsic to the overall storyline.

The story centres around a married couple who are imminently awaiting the arrival of their first child. All is not as it seems in what we believe is a solid relationship, ‘Sean’ the husband is hiding something from his wife ‘Lena’ and as the story develops, we slowly and at the same time as Lena come to understand exactly what Sean has been hiding amongst his web of lies and deceit.

What I really like about the book is the dual narrative as we get the point of view from both Lena and Sean with some other important characters making appearances when relevant. What makes this dual storyline interesting is that we are not always sure which character is a reliable narrator and who is embellishing their story to serve their own agenda. The author also has a very simple writing style that makes the narrative easy to follow and doesn’t overcomplicate the plot.

What I wasn’t that sure about was the plotline involving the character Ethan, I felt like it didn’t necessarily add anything to the overall narrative. I would have enjoyed the book just the same without that additional storyline. Having said that, I enjoyed Ethan as a character and felt the overall progression of his persona throughout was the strongest of all the characters.

Overall, an enjoyable psychological thriller with many twists and turns. A sign of a good thriller for me is not being able to guess what the secret is and I was kept guessing all the way to the reveal. If you are looking for a book that will shock you with lots of layers of deceit this is the one for you.