Book Review — The Au Pair by Emma Rous

“Something strange happened here on the day they were born.”

• Buy THE AU PAIR (Kindle)
• Buy THE AU PAIR (Paperback)
• Buy THE AU PAIR (Audiobook)
• Buy THE AU PAIR (iBooks)

WOW!!! This was one of those books that I couldn’t stop thinking about as soon as I read the blurb, and then once I started reading I couldn’t put it down until I got to the end!

This is a very different genre than the romance genre I usually read. It’s actually a family mystery novel and here, I’m just going to show you the blurb so you understand why I was so intrigued by this story…

Seraphine Mayes and her twin brother, Danny, were born in the middle of summer at their family’s estate on the Norfolk coast. Within hours of their birth, their mother threw herself from the cliffs, the au pair fled, and the village thrilled with whispers of dark cloaks, changelings, and the aloof couple who drew a young nanny into their inner circle.

Now an adult, Seraphine mourns the recent death of her father. While going through his belongings, she uncovers a family photograph that raises dangerous questions. It was taken on the day the twins were born, and in the photo, their mother, surrounded by her husband and her young son, is smiling serenely and holding just one baby.

Who is the child, and what really happened that day?

Seeeee??? Aren’t you curious too??

The story immediately drew me in from the very first page and the story goes back and forth between Seraphine’s quest for answers about her family in the present day, and the au pair Laura’s experience with Seraphine’s family more than twenty years ago in the year leading up to the fateful day of Seraphine’s birth and her mother’s suicide.

My attention was full locked on this book as I read — I was SO curious to learn what had really happened.

There was an eerie and unsettling but extremely intriguing tone to the whole story. And it moved along as a fast pace such that I barely noticed the pages flying by.

On the search for answers, Seraphine begins to question everything she knows about her family and even herself — is she making it all up or is there something really there? Are there secrets that everyone who was there still keeps?

“Look. That’s Mum,” I say to Danny, and he draws the picture closer to himself with one finger, staring.
“She’s just had twins,” I say. “She’s dressed, her hair is neat, I’m pretty sure she’s even got lipstick on. She doesn’t look like someone who’s thinking about killing herself.”
“Seraphine…” Edwin murmurs, but he too is frowning at the photo.
“Why did they post for a family photo with only one of their new babies?” I ask. “Why do they look so — so normal, Mum and Dad, and yet a few hours after this was taken, Mum was dead? I don’t understand how it happened.”

I have to say this really was a GOOD mystery. It was so well done! There were lots of twists, lots of unknowns to discover, plenty of possibilities uncovered, and the best part is that everything made sense and was wrapped up in an incredibly satisfying ending that, much to my surprise given this genre, was actually quite heartening and answered all my questions!

If you’re looking for a gripping, character-driven family-centric mystery with a surprising twists and a satisfying ending, this is it! (PS: this would make a fantastic TV miniseries!!)

Rating: 4.5 stars! Standalone mystery.

• Buy THE AU PAIR (Kindle)
• Buy THE AU PAIR (Paperback)
• Buy THE AU PAIR (Audiobook)
• Buy THE AU PAIR (iBooks)