What We Did by Christobel Kent is a suspenseful novel that deals with difficult subject matter in a discerning and thought-provoking manner.

Bridget Webster is a happily married mum and business owner. From the outside, there is little sign of her troubling past which is exactly how she likes it. She has not confided in her husband, Matt, nor her younger sister, Carrie, about the dark secret she has kept for over two decades. However, when her former music teacher Anthony "Tony" Carmichael suddenly drops back into her life, Bridget is inundated with horrifying memories. After a confrontation with Carmichael goes horribly wrong, Bridget desperately tries to keep the events from the past and present from being exposed. Carrie is unexpectedly drawn into her sister's attempts to cover her tracks and Bridget is appalled to learn newspaper reporter Gillian "Gill" Lawson is asking questions about Anthony. Will Bridget's and Carrie's efforts to keep the truth under wraps be successful?

Bridget is content with the safe life she has with Matt and their son Finn. She feels quite safe with Matt who never delves too deeply beneath the surface. Bridget maintains tight control over every aspect of her life and she has deeply buried the troubling events that destroyed her teenage years. She loves her sister but their relationship has never quite recovered from her rocky teen years. The sisters sometimes go for months without contact but Bridget always provides Carrie with a safe haven when she needs one. Carrie's sudden reappearance could not come at a worse time for Bridget. However, circumstances force her to accept Carrie's help when her sister literally stumbles across what Bridget is frantically trying to hide.

What We Did is an engrossing novel that is a little slow paced despite the suspense. One of the main story arcs revolves around Bridget's attempts to conceal her present misdeed but this part of the storyline ends up being drawn out way too long. A side plot line with her employee is interesting and provides another layer of tension to some of the unfolding events. Bridget discovers she has grossly underestimated her husband but what effect will this have on their relationship? A late in the story situation with Finn neatly intersects with another thread in the plot and adds a sense of urgency as Christobel Kent brings this suspense-laden novel to a satisfying conclusion. This absorbing novel deals with subject matter is very dark but it is handled with a great deal of sensitivity. An insightful novel that I highly recommend to fans of the genre. ( )

What We Did by Christobel Kent is a recommended psychological study with some aspects of a thriller.

Bridget Webster has kept the abuse the occurred in her past a secret from everyone and keeps a tight control over her emotions and reactions. Now she's happily married to Matt and they have a teenage son, Finn. Matt works in IT at Rose Hill University and she owns a women's clothing boutique in town. When her childhood violin teacher, Anthony Carmichael, shows up in her shop with a young teen he wants to buy a dress for, Bridget can barely keep her emotions under control. When Carmichael later returns, having recognized Bridget after all these years, the resulting actions seem inevitable and require even more subterfuge on Bridget's part. Then Bridget's sister Carrie shows up and becomes involved in the situation.

At the same time reporter Gillian "Gill" Lawson has come to town to secretly seek out Carmichael. She has been following him for years with the certainty that he is a long-time pedophile who has somehow escaped being caught and she wants to finally bring an end to his secret reign of terror. She recognizes Bridget as someone who may have been one of his early victims, but having a reporter snooping around is not what Bridget needs right now.

This is a slow-paced novel that creates suspense through Bridget slowly revealing more information and insight about the secrets in her past and why that would lead her to currently do what she did. Although there is a violent reaction which leads to a pro-long period of trying to cover up the results of her action, the incident loses its shocking power due to the extended coverage of the story line. After this point any suspense or tension is created through Gill's investigation and how odd both Bridget and Matt are acting. The ending is a surprise that I didn't see coming.

What We Did, while it has its moments when it is in the territory of a thriller, is at heart more of a character study. As Bridget reveals more information about her past and the inner torment she endures, empathy for her will increase. Based on what is revealed in her backstory, one does wonder why a case as severe and emotionally fraught as hers didn't come to the attention of others earlier. The scenes between her and Matt when they both are leaving a plethora of things unsaid also create tension.

The writing is certainly good. As I mentioned, the pro-longed cover-up and the many things left unsaid by all the characters results in depleting much of the immediacy of the tension and suspense. The exception is the ending when an increased pace and sense of urgency amplifies the tension and all the plot elements come together.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
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