Books Read: Strangers on a Bridge by Louise Mangos

She should never have saved him.

When Alice Reed goes on her regular morning jog in the peaceful Swiss Alps, she doesn’t expect to save a man from suicide. But she does. And it is her first mistake.

Adamant they have an instant connection, Manfred’s charming exterior grows darker and his obsession with Alice grows stronger.

In a country far from home, where the police don’t believe her, the locals don’t trust her and even her husband questions the truth about Manfred, Alice has nowhere to turn.

To what lengths will Alice go to protect herself and her family?

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I had already bought the eBook of Strangers on a Bridge when I was contacted about being part of this blog tour so didn't hesitate to say yes when asked as it gave me the chance to read one of the many eBooks that are still waiting patiently on my Kindle.

What would you do if you saw a stranger on a bridge looking like they're about to jump?  For Alice Reed the answer was simple, she had to try and help talk the man down but little did she realise the consequences for her and her family that one good deed would have.  For what follows in the weeks and months that follows is truly disturbing as Manfred turns from a sad, depressed man into a psychotic stalker.

At first I really felt for Alice as her good Samaritan act came back to haunt her.  She thought that she had done the right thing by taking Manfred to a nearby hospital and reporting the incident to local authorities, but living in a tranquil village in the middle of the Swiss countryside she struggled to get people to understand her, as she doesn't speak the German Swiss fluently, or believe her when the actions of Manfred start to take a sinister turn.  But then later on I found myself shaking my head as I couldn't believe some of the things she was doing, surely she could see that these weren't the actions of a rational woman, wife and mother but it's hard to imagine what you would do in that position when you want to protect everyone you love.   

The setting for this storyline in the Swiss alps was simply sublime, it's the perfect backdrop for the disturbing drama that was playing out as who could believe something so terrifying was happening somewhere so beautiful.  Even though I've never been to Switzerland, through her descriptive writing Louise Mangos really gives her readers a glimpse of what it must be like to take a run or hike through the picturesque scenery throughout the different seasons, but then add into the mix paranoia and fear and you get a whole different atmosphere completely.

Strangers on a Bridge was a truly impressive, accomplished debut novel from an up and coming crime writer.  It had me completely caught up in the tense drama from the moment I started reading till I finished reading the final sentence.  And even though the ending was not the one I was expecting when I first started reading, it turned out to be simply the right ending for everything that had played out before my eyes.  I wait with eager anticipation as to what we readers can expect from Louise Mangos next as if this is any indication of her style of writing I'll be hitting pre-order as soon as it's available.