Member Review

Lisa Jewell never disappoints. She is especially masterful at stories that have two or more narrative threads, with different times, places and voices, and unifying them seamlessly by the end. And as she does that, she reveals just a little bit more, not just about the core mystery, but about the characters themselves. They change before your very eyes, and every new detail is essential. Having read more than a few of her books now, I've come to expect intricately plotted mysteries, solid and engrossing backstories and layered and interesting characters. I'll automatically read whatever she releases from now on.

This is a 4.5, and would have been a five-star read but for the plot exposition near the end. There was a section where it felt like she didn't trust either herself to have adequately tied all the loose threads together, or didn't trust the reader to get it. So, that resulted in one of those, 'here's what happened' soliloquies. I understand the fear that it may have been too complicated, but it really wasn't ... I think the pulling together of threads was incredibly well done, and the only minor flaw was what felt like an author's insecurity in her own skill. That insecurity (if that's what happened) is unwarranted.

Recommended.