The Stranger on the Train

The Stranger on the Train by Abbie Taylor

Emma looks away for a second to retrieve her shopping bags while her thirteen-month-old son, Ritchie, waits for her just inside the doors of  the train. An infinitesimal second in time. And in that brief moment the train doors close revealing the horror of the situation. Ritchie is now on the opposite side of the glass, oblivious to the fact that his frantic mother can't reach him as the sleek mass of metal lumbers down the track. As she runs screaming, begging for the train to stop, Emma sees a blonde woman at the window mouthing words that seem to say, "next stop". Hope swells in Emma's chest. Some kind stranger has rescued Ritchie. The chubby little boy will once again be in her arms. If only it were true.

Emma is a single mother with no family or friends, living on government assistance and struggling everyday with her lonely life. She harbors troubling childhood memories of her own mother. Ritchie's father doesn't even know he exists. Former friends have abandoned her or perhaps she abandoned them. Her son's pediatrician is weary of the constant complaints and whining that Emma brings to each visit. This is a young woman on the brink of a complete breakdown, haunted by what could have been, bogged down by the boring, tedious hours spent doing necessary chores. Yet in her heart she knows one thing. Despite all her faults, she loves her son and will do everything in her power to find him. First, however, she must convince the police and all those around her that the story is not fiction, because now she is at the center of the investigation.

In her debut novel, author Abbie Taylor shifts from past to present with alternating chapters that introduce you to the main character.  Maybe Emma really is a caring devoted mother desperately anxious to be reunited with her son. Then again, her dark secret thoughts might reveal another side of her; thoughts she wishes she could erase. There's a little haunting voice inside her head that refuses to stop filling her mind with sinister scenarios. Full of clever plot twists and action, you'll feel the panic, fear, and frustration that Emma faces as she races against time to rescue a child she may never see again.

This is a psychological thriller that promises to keep you guessing until the end.