Lucinda Berry once again proves her mastery of psychological suspense with A Welcome Reunion, a chilling follow-up to her bestselling hit The Perfect Child. This short thriller is both a sequel and a standalone, packed with tension, moral unease, and the kind of slow-building dread that makes your pulse quicken. In just over sixty pages, Berry delivers a story so disturbing, you’ll be checking your locks and questioning every smiling child you meet.
The novella picks up years after the events of The Perfect Child. Hannah and Christopher Bauer, once hopeful adoptive parents, are now haunted survivors. The little girl they tried to love and save, Janie, destroyed their family in ways they still struggle to comprehend. After years in juvenile detention, Janie now eighteen and going by a new name is back. She’s older, bolder, and terrifyingly charismatic. With a tell-all memoir about to hit the shelves, she’s ready to share her story with the world… and perhaps settle old scores.
The Bauers want nothing to do with her, but Janie doesn’t take rejection lightly. Her reappearance in their lives reignites every old fear, especially when a former social worker warns them that Janie’s “rehabilitation” might not be as genuine as it seems. As the Bauers brace themselves for her next move, readers are pulled into a suffocating web of tension, dread, and unanswered questions.
Berry’s writing is razor-sharp and psychologically astute. As a former clinical psychologist, she uses her expertise to craft characters that feel terrifyingly real. Janie isn’t your typical villain she’s intelligent, manipulative, and frighteningly self-aware. Through her, Berry explores the unsettling question of whether true evil can ever be rehabilitated. The result is a story that’s both horrifying and heartbreakingly plausible.
The pacing is impeccable for a novella. The first half builds suspense through careful psychological insight, while the second half explodes with emotional and moral conflict. Readers who enjoyed The Perfect Child will relish the opportunity to revisit Janie, though newcomers can still follow along easily thanks to the skillful backstory woven throughout.
If there’s one drawback, it’s the abrupt ending. The story ends at its most tense and chilling moment, leaving readers desperate for more. It feels less like closure and more like the calm before another storm perhaps intentionally so, as Berry often leaves her audience pondering what horrors might come next.
Verdict:
A Welcome Reunion is a fast, nerve-shredding read that explores the terrifying consequences of unchecked evil and the impossibility of ever truly escaping the past. Lucinda Berry delivers another unforgettable psychological thriller that lingers long after the final page.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – A gripping, unsettling sequel that proves some reunions are better left avoided.
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