Riley MacPherson returns to her childhood home to clear out the house and settle the estate of her recently deceased father. Her brother, Danny, injured in Iraq and living in a trailer on the fringe of the RV park the family owns, refuses to help her. He's embittered and angry because of the fallout from their sister's suicide when he and Riley were children and he never got over it. All Riley wants to do is have a relationship with her brother now that the two are orphaned and alone. But, she discovers that her father was keeping s very huge secret.
Fans of women's fiction centering on family drama will be the likely readers of this newest novel by author Diane Chamberlain. I've read every single one of her books and keep hoping for one that takes me back to the thrill and satisfaction I felt when reading THE SECRET LIFE OF CEE CEE WILKES. I keep waiting for an intense relationship story and some real intrigue and mystery, but this book is lacking both. The tale is contrived, melodramatic, predictable and filled with what I felt to be completely one-dimensional unlikeable characters. That's right -- there was absolutely no one in the book that I developed a connection with or ultimately cared what happened to them. The whole narrative seemed so ludicrous, far-fetched and filled with so much co-incidence that even my usual ability to suspend disbelief was sorely tested. The ending was so pat that it was not remotely satisfying.
I really would give this book 2.5 stars at best because I was so disappointed again, but I know that anyone who likes books by Jodi Picoult, Mary Kay Andrews, Kristen Hannah and other writers of this genre will disagree with that rating. Perhaps it is me, and I should stay away from women's fiction.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-book ARC to review.
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