Woman on The Edge by Samantha M. Bailey

Woman on the Edge by Samantha M. Bailey – 272 pages

Finished copy from the author in exchange for an honest review

Book Blurb:

A moment on the platform changes two lives forever. But nothing is as it seems…
‘Take my baby.’ In a split second, Morgan’s life changes forever. A stranger hands her a baby, then jumps in front of a train. Morgan has never seen the woman before and she can’t understand what would cause a person to give away her child and take her own life. When the police question Morgan, she discovers none of the witnesses can corroborate her version of events. And when they learn Morgan longs for a baby of her own, she becomes a suspect. To prove her innocence, Morgan frantically tries to retrace the last days of the woman’s life. She begins to understand that Nicole Markham believed she and her baby were in danger. Now Morgan might be in danger, too. Was Nicole a new mother struggling with paranoia? Or was something much darker going on?

My Review: 3.5 stars

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Woman on the Edge was a fast-paced thriller about two strangers whose lives connect in ways you could never imagine. I can’t even imagine the situation Morgan was put into, when a baby is shoved into her arms by a woman who then jumps in front of her train.

There’s a lot to think about with this scenario; what were the circumstances that would lead a woman to give up her child with such immediacy? Why to a stranger? And, why was she suicidal? On the flip side, what does Morgan do once the baby is in her arms? Call the police or keep it? I can honestly say that both of these women seemed emotionally fragile and made a lot of unsound choices. Their fragility was understandable, but not very likeable.

Although the title has many implications, personally, I was on the edge of my seat to find out what was going to happen next. I had no problem picking out the “bad guy” from the start so that was a bummer, but it didn’t hinder my enjoyment factor of the book.

For a debut thriller, Bailey created an interesting premise with a of twists and turns. She’s very invested in the book world as co-founder of Book Buzz in Toronto and NYC.