The premise of this novel was quite enticing so I requested the ARC of this book. Two people are kidnapped together, locked in a place where escape is impossible, left with a gun and a dying mobile phone with only a text message indicating that the two have to choose between kill or be killed. Once the deed is done, the killer/survivor will be set free.
Sam and Amy are taken while on the way home from a gig in London. Ben and Robert run out of gas and are nabbed while walking to a gas station. Other pairs face the same fate. When one of them does kill the other and is set loose, the survivor is emotionally ruined with guilt. What kind of monster does this, and why?
DI Helen Grace is sort of a hot mess. The reader gets snippets of what is apparently her childhood background so is meant to be empathetic, but I never really developed any feeling for Helen and did not actually like her, or any of her methods. When the tension and action ramp up toward the conclusion, and when I figured out where this was going once it was obvious.......POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING!! ........that this was all meant as a show for Helen, I lost interest. The last half of the book was implausible and didn't even make logical sense if one accepted that Helen was a very good, smart cop and investigator. When she saw the pattern and connection, she didn't go check out some ONE from her childhood? END POSSIBLE SPOILER!
Regardless, the first part was good, lots of switching back and forth of point of view was sometimes a bit hard to keep straight, but it was a very quick read and I raced through the pages to the unsatisfying, and entirely predictable outcome for all the characters. I'm not sure I'd read another in this series. I don't care for Helen and, without giving spoilers, can't say why so as not to ruin it for others, but I'd be interested in comments about this lack of feeling she has. Overall, I didn't feel it met the high expectations I had after reading all the gushing reviews promoting it. When will I learn?
Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Berkley, NAL / Signet Romance, DAW for the e-book ARC to review.
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