Absorbing atmospheric mystery thriller.
When 20-year-old Jules goes missing in Lake Atitlán, Guatemala, while trying to find herself and develop her writing skills, her father immediately sends all kinds of his contacts to try to locate her without success. Eventually presumed drowned in the deep lake, it's 3 months later when her mother, Rose, decides to go there and attend an exclusive writer's retreat under a fake name to see if she can get some answers about what happened to her daughter.
This is a mother-daughter story on one level and a suspenseful thriller as well. As Rose searches and asks questions at the retreat and in the local town, she discovers (as we all usually do) that she didn't really know her daughter as well as she thought she did. The locals are quiet and even though Rose speaks fluent Spanish, they aren't encouraged to talk to her. Likewise, the staff at the writer's retreat, and its famous author hostess, Eva Marshall, are less than forthcoming and some even deny that Jules was ever there. Rose soon discovers that all was not above board at this lovely tropical workshop compound.
I really enjoyed the mother and daughter characters in this book. Their personalities evolved slowly with the narrative alternating between them. The setting was very important to the story and the descriptions brought the place to life. Eva Marshall was quite the woman and author with many lies to tell and secrets she must keep. The interaction between the other attendees and the townspeople were revealing and added color to the novel.
I listened to the audiobook and the two narrators, Susan Bennett and Rebecca Quin Robertson, did a fantastic job voicing the characters with appropriate feeling and tone. I followed along in the e-book ARC which definitely enhanced my enjoyment. Definitely recommend.
This is a standalone and is not part of any series.
Genre - suspense, mystery thriller
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