I was a blubbering wreck at 3.30am

It was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime.

For him at least.

I was a blubbering wreck, but not for the reasons you might think.

On Tuesday, I was up at 3:30am to drop our elder son at the airport for an early morning

flight to Mexico where he was meeting up with his girlfriend.

(Amanda was going to come to see him off until I pointed out the time we had to leave 😴😂)

Although he's now 24, it was his first solo flight.

And in fact, a rare trip abroad for him.

So I helped him check in his luggage.

Pointed him in the direction of security.

Triple checked he had his EpiPens.

And waved a tearful goodbye.

You see, since he was little, my son has had a severe sesame and peanut allergy.

It's bad enough when you're in your own country where everyone speaks the language and most restaurants are well informed about allergies.

But it's a huge worry when he goes abroad.

Throw in the language barrier and it's a perfect nightmare.

As every parent knows, you do everything to make sure your child is safe (even when they're in their 20s and moved away from home).

But there comes a moment when you hand them over to strangers… and there's nothing to do but hope.

It struck me that that moment in the airport where he disappeared to find his plane is like the pivot point in a good psychological thriller.

That moment where your seemingly 'perfect life' can swerve into chaos and disaster at any moment.

I had the pleasure of reading an advance copy of Amanda's new thriller (out this week) and it's a case in point.

The Holiday Swap is all about a perfect holiday, until it's suddenly not.

They find blood in the kitchen. And an old friend is missing.

And suddenly the perfect holiday has become the perfect nightmare.

I highly suggest you grab a copy – you won't be disappointed.

The Thriller Couple

Browsing social media this week, it seems as if most thriller writers we know have been in Yorkshire for the Harrogate Crime Festival at the weekend.

Meanwhile, Amanda and I have been stuck at home (writing).

My son is off to Mexico, probably eating suspiciously well.

And I've been refreshing Amanda's rankings more times than I'd like to admit.

Talk about the fear of missing out!

Maybe next year.

Have you got grown up kids? Do you still worry about them unnecessarily. Or does there come a point when you stop worrying?