Books: "Guilt" By Amanda Robson

Guilt
By Amanda Robson
Avon, available Tuesday, June 19

Amanda Robson's debut psychological thriller, Obsession, was a success in the United Kingdom, reaching the top spot on the iBooks bestsellers list. It received critical praise for its taut suspense and its unwavering unwavering examination of the nature of marriage, passion, and jealousy.



Robson returns with her second book, Guilt, which is a dark and twisty novel about two sisters whose lives are irrevocably unraveled when they become involved with a charming sociopath.

Twin sisters Zara and Miranda Cunningham have always relied on the strength of their familial bonds.

Miranda, who is steadfast and dependable has always looked out for the fragile and flighty Zara.

Soon after Zara meets Sebastian at a local grocery store, she becomes obsessed with her new boyfriend. Sebastian is very handsome and charismatic, but he also has a secretive and dangerous side.

By preying on Zara and Miranda's vulnerabilities, he manipulates them into distrusting and then turning on one another in their confusion, shame, and guilt. One sister is murdered, and one is guilty...maybe. What happened comes into focus as the events of the past and present are revealed through the perspectives of these three unreliable narrators.

Guilt's story stems from Robson's own experiences with sexual harassment as a young woman starting out in the workplace in the 1980s. For months, her manager would speak to and touch her inappropriately, and her complaints to "Personnel," as Human Resources was known then, were ignored.

Robson's efforts to seek a transfer to another department in the company were almost sabotaged by this manager, in an effort to keep her from exposing him further. She vividly recalls the toxic mix of shame, discomfort, fear, frustration and anger that she felt, and she channels those emotions into her novel.

Guilt is an engrossing read that you won't be able to put down.