Willem and Jurriaan Veldkamp are being raised by a controlling, abusive, exacting mother who is a world-renowned pianist. Their father ignores the signs of psychological and physical abuse, but the scars run deep, and one day when Louisa Veldkamp vanishes while jogging on the island of Wexalia, everyone wonders if she was swept out to sea or if someone did the unthinkable in WHAT YOU MADE ME DO. This thrilling new debut novel by Barbara Gayle Austin will leave readers gasping at the diabolical secrets this seemingly perfect family conceals.

Several years after Louisa’s disappearance, another storyline plays out. Anneliese, adopted at birth, spent her childhood being traumatized by a psychopathic brother. All she wants is to find her biological mother and live a happy life. When her search leads her in the direction of Louisa Veldkamp’s stepsister, Katja, who is now married to Louisa’s husband, Anneliese devises a plan to use Willem to get close to the Veldkamp family. After becoming pregnant, Anneliese moves in with the family and finds them to be cold and distant. As she continues to uncover the truth about her real mother, someone in the family is not happy with Anneliese’s meddling, and she soon finds her life in grave danger.

WHAT YOU MADE ME DO is a multilayered, well-written psychological thriller that starts with childhood abuse, uncontrolled rage, infidelity, and murder. Willem and Jurriaan suffer the wrath of their cold, vindictive mother, and Annaliese is tormented by her brother. These damaged people learn to survive through lies, deceit, and manipulation. There are redeeming qualities in the characters, such as Willem’s protective nature of his disabled brother Jurriaan, but the characters are mostly unlikeable. However, this doesn’t detract from the entertainment value of this dark, twisted thriller of tangled lives and past regrets that will keep readers glued to the pages. Even in the end, WHAT YOU MADE ME DO leaves us wondering if these characters will break abusive patterns and live normal lives, or will always be destined for misery.