I'm going to step away a bit from my usual review style as starting by giving my own synopsis of the plot would actually be a disservice as it's much too complicated to reduce to a paragraph. Simply pick this one up and read what is essentially a slow simmer tale of domestic suspense that builds tension with every chapter. I thought I had this pretty much all figured out after the first couple of chapters. In a way I did -- but the way this author breaks it all out is quite masterful.
The characters -- well, I'm not going to lie -- I didn't care for any of them really. Emotional, unstable, indecisive, trusting, naive, willful, obstinate, weak, and strong. Definitely unreliable narrators who alternate chapters telling their version of the story and the reader is unable to figure out whose is accurate. Lots of secrets and lying going on of course as usual in psychological thrillers and both Heather Shaw and Elizabeth Huxley are complex packages of longing and desire. Whose version of Lucas Huxley bears out after all? NO SPOILERS.
Did I mention that it's a slow burner? That bears repeating because it seemed to take forever to get to the rising action with lots of what appeared to be irrelevant detail and description. But, hang in there as the last third of the book brings all the drama to the forefront and it's quite hard to guess what will happen next. I found it all quite satisfying and read it all in basically a single sitting.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read, review and recommend.
This is a standalone and is not part of any series.
Genre -- domestic suspense, psychological thriller
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