Synopsis
THE GRIPPING NEW DI STRATTON THRILLER FROM THE HIGHLY ACCLAIMED AUTHOR OF BELIEVE
It’s every mother’s worst nightmare.
Your son is gone.
And everyone’s a suspect…
'Suspenseful and kept me guessing with a killer twist' 5***** Reader Review
'Brilliantly plotted...an intense, emotional read' 5***** Reader Review
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Laura is ready to start a new chapter.
Between her messy divorce with her ex-husband, and moving in with her new fiancé, her son Benjy and her successful writing career have been her only constants.
Until that fateful day. The afternoon starts like any other. Laura collects Benjy from school, then heads upstairs to write.
It’s not until the sun is setting that she realises the house is quiet. Too quiet.
It’s not until she sees the footprints in the garden that she knows something is terribly wrong.
One set is undeniably Benjy’s. It’s the other set that strikes fear in her heart – those of an adult.
Someone who took her son, right from under her nose…
DI Stratton is called to investigate. She must trust no one - and suspect everyone. Even Laura.
After all, doesn't her latest story follow a boy the same age as Benjy? One that takes a devastating turn...
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Why readers can't put When You Looked Away down!
'Captivated me immediately and held me until the very last word' 5***** reader review
'Really gripping and emotional...excellent' 5***** reader review
'Clever, chilling and chock full of intrigue, emotion and rawness' 5***** reader review
'The plotting and pacing is masterful, keeping the tension high throughout...I didn't guess the ending and was desperate to find out the truth. It's impossible to put down!' 5***** reader review
Why authors and reviewers LOVE S.M. Govett:
‘The very definition of a page turner’ Janice Hallett
‘A properly good, tense thriller which had me guessing until the end’ Jennie Godfrey
‘One of the finest crime stories of the year’Daily Mail
‘A superior psychological thriller…gripping, clever and full of twists you won’t see coming’ Sarah Pinborough
‘An addictive domestic thriller with razor sharp writing and dialogue that will keep you up all night’ Abigail Dean
‘You won’t put it down once you start’Prima
Publisher information
- Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
- ISBN: 9780241765142
- Number of pages: 400
- Dimensions: 241 x 164 x 36 mm
- Weight: 604g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
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A Compelling Twisty Read
When you looked away is a domestic psychological thriller but also a police procedural and another book in the DS Stratton series. Laura leaves her son una... READ MORE
Impossible to put down
The second in the DI Stratton series and this one is a belter, even better than the first. Laura is divorced with an 11 year old son, has a new partner and... READ MORE
A thriller with a punch
I’m just going to go ahead and say it: what a novel! It captivated me immediately and held me until the very last word. In short, Govett played me like a f... READ MORE
Superb plot with great characters
My best read of 2026!
An incredible story that captivated me from page 1. It was a marvellously planned story that allowed the development of every char... READ MORE
Brilliant second is series.
The second book featuring DI Helen Stratton, ‘Believe’ was one of my top reads of last year so I was really looking forward to this. Told from dual perspe... READ MORE
Emotional, twisty and realistically modern
Wow what a lucky find this was, I am totally honoured to be given this arc. Although this is the second book in the series, it made no impact on reading it... READ MORE
Book 2 in the series
Thank you to the publishers for this early review copy.
I am a big fan of Sarah's books, this is her second in this series - the first is Believe - which ... READ MORE
I couldn’t put it down
Wow, I couldn’t put this book down, it kept me gripped until the end! Laura’s son, Benjy, goes missing from the house while she is busy writing her novel i... READ MORE
Excellent crime novel
This was my first book by S.M. Govet. I really don't know how I missed this author. It was an excellent read in every way. Gripping, if mostly dislikeable ... READ MORE
A must Read.
When You Looked Away is a gripping, dark thriller told through two perspectives Laura and DI Helen Stratton. There’s no slow build here; you’re thrown stra... READ MORE
An excellent second book in the DI Stratton series
That Monday could have been like any other day. Laura, a successful crime writer, collects her son, Benjy, from school and then goes back to writing her cu... READ MORE
Had me gasping with shock!
Laura is divorced from her abusive ex-husband Rich and her new partner schoolteacher Ted Green has moved in with her and her son Benjy. Laura is an author... READ MORE
enjoying this author
Full of twists and turns. 11 year old boy found dead by his mum, drowned in a pond in the woods behind the family home. DI Stratton investigates as the cri... READ MORE
An excellent thriller
After picking Benjy up from school, Laura goes upstairs to write. She doesn't know the house is quiet until the sun is lowering. Too quiet. She doesn't rea... READ MORE
I couldn’t put this down!
Another incredible story from this author. D I Stratton is back to solve another crime- a boy has disappeared from his home and everyone is a suspect, even... READ MORE
Just as good as the first!!
This was one of those thrillers where every chapter made me change my mind and I absolutely flew through it.
After loving Believe, I couldn’t wait to ge... READ MORE
Intense, emotional thriller
A brilliantly plotted story with some great twists. I couldn't look away - I was glued to the page. This is an intense, emotional read about the disappeara... READ MORE
Twisty, compelling and emotional
When You Looked Away
‘Believe’ was one of my favourite reads of last year, so I was delighted to receive an ARC of Sarah Govett’s latest book, When You ... READ MORE
Entertaining read
I was really looking forward to reading this as I read the authors debut novel ‘Believe’ which I thought was amazing.
Laura is a crime writer and writes ... READ MORE
DI Stratton is back and it’s another 5 star read!
It was so good to be back with DI Stratton! After loving Believe so much I had really high hopes for When You Looked Away. I can now firmly say that I am i... READ MORE
Verified Purchase
S. M. Govett is an author to follow!
When You Looked Away by S. M. Govett is the latest Detective Inspector Stratton thriller which was given to me as an advanced copy by the publisher via Net... READ MORE
It Kept Me Guessing!!
I was a little nervous to start When You Looked Away because it deals with some really sensitive subjects involving kids, but I am so glad I gave it a cha... READ MORE
Imaginative Premise
A great story with D I Stratton. Had me gripped from the first until the last page. Imaginative premise.Exceptional characterisation. Plenty of thrills and... READ MORE
Dark page turner
A dark and unpredictable story, I found this a compelling read. Would make great tv too.
Thanks to the author, publisher and to netgalley for providing m... READ MORE
Excellent read
This was an excellent read - a great police procedural with many twists and turns and a surprising but very satisfying ending - which I did not guess at al... READ MORE
A Brilliant Pageturner
In 'When You Looked Away' by S.M. Govett we cross paths again with Detective Helen Statton. This is the second installment of the detective series after th... READ MORE
Trust Me
I have not read anything by this author before, but I will certainly be looking for her other books after reading this book.
I could hardly bear to put t... READ MORE
Mysterious, tragic death of a young boy
A heartbreaking story of the death of a young boy, found drowned near his home. His mother Laura, an author, had met him from school, given him a snack and... READ MORE
A gripping and intriguing thriller
Crime author Laura is about to marry for the second time, to Ted. She is busy writing when she realises she hasn’t seen her son for a while. DS Stratton is... READ MORE
A second sensational read by S. M. Govett
When Laura’s son, Benjy, goes missing, it starts to follow similar themes to novels she’s written, bleeding the lines between fact and fiction. Who is to b... READ MORE
Gripping book
Having read Believe the authors other book I am familiar with the writing style, fast paced and dark at times. A gripping book that keeps you guessing righ... READ MORE
Tough detective with a big heart
This second book in the DI Stratton series is again presented as a double-hander, with chapters alternating between the perspectives of detective Helen Str... READ MORE
Twisty
This was so good. The only downside was it seemed a bit long but the twists and turns were amazing. I thought I knew who it was but was so wrong! Brilliant... READ MORE
A truly gripping book
Wow what a rollercoaster of a book. Laura is a writer of murder mystery books. Her son is killed and she writes his story trying to find out what happened.... READ MORE
Good thriller
When you looked away
When Laura mother of Benjy realises she has been writing for four hours without seeing her son since collecting him from school, he d... READ MORE
Engaging thriller
Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy of When You Looked Away.
S.M. Govett takes every parent’s worst nightmare and turns it into a tense, emotion... READ MORE
Great storytelling
This is a very intense, hard hitting thriller. Just when you think you have it all figured out, it twists. It really hits hard, especially the ending. Grea... READ MORE
Exceptional!
This is the second DI Stratton police procedural and it is just as good, if not even better than "Believe".
It is a complex tale of Laura , a writer who... READ MORE
The usual suspects....with a twist
DI Stratton is back and this time she is investigating the death of a child. The mother Laura, appears emotionally removed from her child Benjy’s death but... READ MORE
Emotionally charged thriller
When You Looked Away is an emotionally charged thriller that expertly combines domestic suspense with a police procedural, resulting in a story that is bot... READ MORE
Twists and Turns that you don't see coming
This is the first book I have read by S M Govett and it wont be the last as I really enjoyed the style of writing.
The short chapters were good . All the ... READ MORE
Compelling, gripping thriller
The story graphically explores the murder of Laura’s son Benjy, who has been drowned in a stream in the local woods.
Stratton, the detective in charge of ... READ MORE
Don't Look Away
What a book! So many layers and depth in the characters and plot.
In most books the reader strives to identify the baddy or baddies. This process will n... READ MORE
A very well different, well presented thriller.
I found it very difficult to review this book at length without including a lot of spoilers, or retelling the story in summary form.
It's a very thought p... READ MORE