Pages: 320 pages
Publisher: Kensington Books
Published: June 30, 2015
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Synopsis (from publisher):
The narrative is told in two perspectives: Kate, a naive but kind, helpful neighbor, and Rosie, the victim. A lit bit like The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, Rosie’s perspective from the afterlife gives the reader a rare glimpse into her life, her past, her present, and the events leading towards her death. Her insights were not just recollections, but also clues, leading towards her killer. Rosie’s words are hard to take in. While unmasking the facade of the happy family, she reveals sad, distressing details that both disturbs you and pulls you into more of the story.
The author’s poetic language makes for beautiful and descriptive storytelling. Don’t get me wrong, I love poetic writing in my novels. But I felt for a psychological thriller, it is just appeared to be out-of-place to me. And it didn’t help with the pace of the book. The book in its entirety was steady but had a slow pace entwined in there. Due to this, it did take me awhile to really dive into it. I was almost going to give it a three star rating until halfway through the book, the storyline started to get interesting and “being engrossed until the very last page” feeling returned. The ending, although touching and beautifully done, I did feel that there were some questions left unanswered and felt a little incomplete to me. I can understand why the author didn’t want this thriller to be burdened with forensics and police procedure but maybe if there was a smidge of these elements, the accusations that were flying around would appear more believable.
If you are looking for a thriller heavy with police and forensic talk, this book is not for you. But if you are looking for that rare mystery that takes a journey into the human mind, you might joy enjoy this book. Keep in mind it touches on touchy and disturbing aspects so beware if you are a sensitive reader. I was shocked when I found out the identity of the killer but also disturbed when I discovered the killer’s motives. But it goes to show you:
You truly never know what is in a person’s mind.
Overall rating: 4 out of 5 stars.
Note: I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.
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