Retreat by Krysten Ritter

 Twisty, if predictable, psychological thriller. 

Liz Dawson, an experienced con woman, needs to escape her current situation in Chicago and finds the perfect out when one of her marks actually helps Liz by giving her a job. Not just any work, but a fantastic opportunity out of the country in the super rich area of Punta Mita in Mexico. A wealthy homeowner, Isabelle Beresford, hires Liz to install a painting in her villa. Liz is quite excited to get out of town and definitely plans to enjoy her week in Mexico living it up in the beautiful home. Once there, however, not only does Liz settle in quickly, she meets other women who live there, and it is clear that they think she is actually Isabelle. Well, why not? She’s assumed other identities before and plans to live it up while she can. Soon, however, Liz finds that she might have gotten herself mixed up in something dangerous. Definitely not a simple con and it all goes spectacularly wrong. 

This started out well and I was fully engaged until about the half way mark when Liz’s deceptions start to fall apart and she is in constant fear of exposure. Events transpire that make Liz wonder about the Beresfords. But every time she knew she should get out before her duplicity was revealed, something kept her there. I guess she liked the wealthy lifestyle and all its trappings. All of that identity confusion and obsession got old quick and you just knew what was coming because of the big thing left unsaid. No spoilers. And, that ambiguous ending really irritated me. All in all, it was just a story with lies and secrets. Honestly, the whole look alike trope is getting old as well. 

Did not like any of the characters. They were hideous and very much stereotypes of this genre. Mostly a familiar story of the rich behaving badly and the typical assumption that many are not good people. I don’t believe it would be that easy to assume another person’s life. 

Listened to the audio book while following along in the e-book ARC, both provided by the publishers. The narrator was the author herself and she did an adequate job of voicing the characters, getting the nuances right, and giving the story a bit of dramatic flair. Unfortunately, the production wasn’t enough to save the actual story from mediocrity.

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.

Tags - lookalike identity theft, murder, wealth, psychological thriller, lies, secrets