Review: One Step Too Far by Tina Seskis

Title:  One Step Too Far  Author:  Tina Seskis Publisher/Publication Date: William Morrow; January 27, 2015 (first published April 7,2013) Genre: Fiction Format/Source:  Paperback, ARC, Publisher Amazon     Barnes & Noble Book Summary from Goodreads An intricately plotted, thoroughly addictive thriller from a major new voice in suspense fiction--a mesmerizing and powerful novel that will keep you guessing to the very end It's funny how easy it is, when it really comes down to it, to get up from your life and begin a new one. All you need is enough money to start you off, and a resolve not to think about the people you're leaving behind." A happy marriage. A beautiful family. A dream home. So what makes lawyer Emily Coleman--a woman who appears to have everything--get up one morning and walk right out of her life to start again as someone new? Deliberately losing herself in London, Emily quickly transforms herself into Cat. Along with her new name, she finds a new home in a shared house in North London teeming with an odd assortment of flatmates, and a new job as a receptionist at a hip advertising agency. Finding easy kinship with the fun-loving Angel, her savior and new best friend, Cat begins to live on the edge, giddy with the euphoria of freedom and release. Cat has buried any trace of her old self so well, no one knows how to find her. But she can't bury the past--or her own painful memories. As the days turn to months, thoughts of all she's left behind begin to consume her. She cannot outrun the ghosts that haunt her, no matter how hard she tries to elude them. And soon, she'll have to face the truth of what she's done--a shocking revelation that may push her one step too far . . . Filled with wonderfully complex characters, brilliantly plotted to ratchet the suspense, and exploring themes of family, secrets, and the choices we all must make, One Step Too Far is a mesmerizing thriller that tantalizingly illuminates just how far we may go to try and forget our sins. Review One Step Too Far by Tina Seskis is suspenseful and had an attention-grabbing start as Emily walked away from life as she knew it to start anew.  The first part of the book seemed to be dedicated to plot set up and character development. And I didn't really notice a substantial amount of clues as to why Emily walked away from everything until the latter part of the book. At that point, the story transitioned into a gripping tale in which I began to understand why Emily was experiencing so much inner turmoil and why she made the choices that she did. Emily found herself living in conditions that were much worse than what she came from, which made me think that things in her life had to be pretty bad to choose the path that she chose. After leaving her old life behind, she befriended Angel after which some chapters were dedicated to revealing events from Angel's past. Other chapters alternated between the key characters past and present day experiences, and it was difficult to understand why the story jumped around so much with few clues as to why Emily had left what seemed to be a perfect life behind. And although Ben seemed to be a loving husband, I was unconvinced that he searched very hard for his missing wife in the beginning. However, much of what Ben experienced while Emily was missing remains a mystery, because chapter after chapter was dedicated to other characters. Instead of just focusing on Emily, Ben, and their situation, there were just too many characters in the spotlight. Even though the book trailer really sparked my interest and a portion of the story was gripping—for me—the overall story was average. Rating 3.5/5 I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.