Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Release Date: August 1st, 2023
Pages: 368
Publisher: William Morrow
My Rating: ⭐⭐
Publisher’s Synopsis:
“22-year-old Olivia has been missing for one day…and counting. She was last seen on CCTV, entering a dead-end alley. And not coming back out again.
Julia, the detective heading up the search for Olivia, thinks she knows what to expect. A desperate family, a ticking clock, and long hours away from her husband and daughter. But she has no idea just how close to home this case is going to get.
Because the criminal at the heart of the disappearance has something she never expected. His weapon isn’t a gun, or a knife: it’s a secret. Her worst one. And her family’s safety depends on one thing: Julia must NOT find out what happened to Olivia – and must frame somebody else for her murder.
If you find her, you will lose everything. What would you do?
This clever and endlessly surprising thriller is laced with a smart look at family and motherhood, and cements Gillian McAllister as a major talent in the world of suspense and a master of creating ethical dilemmas that show just how murky the distinction between right and wrong can be.”
My Review:
This was not great for me. If I had to rate this on a scale of Taco Bell sauces, it would be less than mild. It would be “they forgot to put any sauce in my bag so now I have to eat this plain.” Just bland. It’s not twisty – it’s the flattest, straightest road in the midwest. The characters are strange, unrelatable, and their actions are eye-roll-inducing. Ominous tension? Nah, it’s as atmosphere-less as outer space. And a boggy marsh of endless inner monologues.
For the life of me, I cannot understand some of the narrative choices that were made in writing this story. The main POV is written in third person limited, of our protagonist Julia, which works perfectly. However, there are two more POVs that are both written in second person (i.e. “you”) and are each directed at a different character who we really don’t even know. If that explanation sounds confusing, that’s because in execution it really is. Yikes, it was a convoluted mess to try to decipher.
The story itself really wasn’t any saving grace for it either. I didn’t care much about anyone. The plot was meh. There were a few scenes that pulled me along, but for the most part I was having to force myself to read it. It was actually going to put me in a reading slump. I DNF’d this at 250 pages – which is just wild to give up after getting so far. That alone should tell you everything you need to know about my experience. I just couldn’t do it anymore and I did not care at all how it ended.
Disclaimers:
Huge thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me an early copy of this amazing story! I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Have you read this book? Planning to add it to your TBR?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
I love a good book discussion. 🙂
Leave a Reply