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And Now She's Gone

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"Everyone lies. Everyone leaves something out of the narrative...There were big secrets everywhere"

Los Angeles on the west side. Grayson Sykes was creeped out. She felt she was being shadowed by a black Range Rover. What if "the man" tried to open her car door or break a window then kill her as he promised to do. Gray was always looking over her shoulder.

For two years, she had worked for Rader Consulting as a contractor. Dominick Rader, founder and CEO, had modeled his business "...on the backs of cheaters and scammers...". Gray was assigned her first case as a private investigator. Ian O'Donnell, a cardiologist at UCLA Medical Center hired Rader Consulting to locate his girlfriend, Isabel Lincoln. Defining features included: 5 ft 9 in, butterfly tattoo on left thigh...innocent eyes. Additionally, Ian's Labradoodle, "Kenny G" was missing. A consult with the police: "women disappear all the time...some intentionally".

Why would Izzy leave? Ian claimed they were happy...making wedding plans. "I just want her to come back home...I want her to just...talk to me...explain why she left this time. And why she pulled my dog into all of this".

Grayson Sykes aka Gray, seemed to bumble a little at first. After all, this was her first case as a PI. She had no usable pens to take notes and she forgot to record her conversations with her client, Dr. Ian O'Donnell. Ian "...the man who healed people every day [was] the man who probably always got what he wanted from women...[he claims however] I haven't touched her. I haven't seen her...". Why then, does she need to be found? "Because I want my dog".

Gray's investigation started to peel back layers of mistrust, abuse and neglect. She knew only too well the havoc and trauma of a troubled past. She, herself, had set up an automatic tracker for both a black Range Rover and a red Jaguar, Nevada plates. A rear license plate from "that Range Rover" was captured on the streets of L.A.

The back stories for Isabel Dixon and Grayson Sykes showed past harrowing experiences for both women. Lies, deception and a secret desire to stay missing? Perhaps the necessity to emerge anew from the ashes of one's former life? And where in the world was "Kenny G"?

"And Now She's Gone" by Rachel Howzell Hall was a suspenseful thriller that had many twists and turns. I wanted to love the well developed characters, however, for this reader, the plot lost it's fizzle and became an average read.

Thank you Macmillan-Tor/Forge Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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“Keep your Tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.”

In this riveting story, we are introduced to Grayson Sykes, a PI for Rader Consulting who is working on her first case. Hired to find Ian O’Donnell’s girlfriend and dog who have vanished seems like a pretty straightforward case, however, there is more than meets the eye when it comes to gray’s own past.

How far would you go to escape abuse and violence and start a new life? This novel tells an intricate story of lies, secrets and deceit. Many twists and turns along the way.

I found the story a little bit hard to follow at times as the plot was all over the place. I still highly recommend pre-ordering this book. It was hard to put down as I wanted to know how it would end. I really enjoyed the romance aspect and wish the author would have delved deeper into that part of the story.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Forge Publishing and of course the author Rachel Howzell Hall for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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And Now She's Gone by Rachel Howzell Hall

An edge of your seat thriller making you constantly guess who dunnit, who is evil, who can be trusted. A mystery keeping you guessing until the last page. Grayson Sykes, a private investigator is put on a simple case, find the girl who broke up and took a man's dog. But nothing is that simple. In the tangled web we find out more about Gray's past, her subject "Isabel" and the tangled web they weaved.

I received this complimentary e-book copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD

Grayson Sykes is a great lead character whose perspective is a delight. Following over her shoulder from the moment the Isabel case is placed on her desk to finding out Gray's former hidden identity, we learn about the abusers and the users of a system intended to assist those in need. This book did a great job with bouncing between the past and the present and keeping the reader on their toes until the very end. If Gray was a real person, I would be so proud of her for growing into the person she has become and for pushing past the most difficult boundaries that were set in her life. This was a riveting thriller that draws you in and keeps you hooked. Don't sleep on this one, get a copy when it comes out on September 22, 2020!

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Well I’ll definitely have to categorize this one as an “on the edge of my seat, omg another twist?!” mystery/thriller. Sometimes this type of book almost becomes too far fetched to enjoy, but the author did a really solid job of bringing the story together. There are many details and names to follow, which got me a little confused at times, but then when the plot lines would reveal themselves everything made sense. Definitely think this will be a great beach read this summer (and by beach read, I mean at home quarantine read). I love when I can’t put down a book, but also hate that it’s over so quick. Definitely recommend this one!

Thank you to Net Galley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for my copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review!!

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Huge thanks to Netgalley for providing me with this book before it's release date in exchange for an honest review!

Where do I even begin?? This book was all over the place. What started off as a harmless detective/PI type of mystery book started giving me whiplash by the halfway point with how the plot-line was going. One minute we are focused on finding Isabel and everything that entails and then the next minute we are diving into Grayson's past and don't get me wrong, two parallel plot-lines can and have been done well but in this book it was dizzying how the plot's priorities switched from Gray to Isabel and back again! In the beginning of this book I was actually very curious on the missing woman Isabel Lincoln but then as the story trudged on that whole plot became very convoluted and the clues were all over the place! I'm not even talking about red herrings I mean I feel like the author had a bunch of different ideas and could not decide which to use and just said screw it ill include them all on after the other and it made for a story that made no sense and had no foundation to it at all. The character of Grayson I realize was meant to be deep and we were meant to feel for her and her rough past but I just felt like it was info dump on her tough past and then a whole lot of the author trying so hard to give her this bad-ass no nonsense personality that for the most part did not translate well at all. I was entertained by most of the book only because it was so convoluted I just was curious on what the real truth would end up being. Even that was unfortunately disappointing there were loose ends not a whole lot of character building for the villain of the story which would have made me care more and the ending "twist" was very lackluster and predictable. There were huge chunks that were boring like Gray's interactions with her co workers the whole Las Vegas trip was unnecessary and boring the ending tried to wrap everything up for us in a nice clean bow but I still has lingering questions and by the end of it I was asking myself what the hell I just read I am grateful that Netgalley gave this to me if not I might have bought it and regretted it. Also, the whole romance aspect of this book had potential but could have been fleshed out more. Boy did this plot need major surgery... it would be going 120 mph one second and then slow down to 30mph then 80-100 mph in the next minute it was like whoa totally unbalanced and not in a good way but more in a way that left you confused and not very sure where the plot was going. The writing style was easy to fly through but at times the character's dialogues were written very awkwardly and did I mention there were a crap ton of loose ends?? There was a whole lot of telling and not showing when I think most would prefer the opposite. I unfortunately would not recommend this book to anyone unless of course you are curious....

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4.5 stars.
This is a fantastic novel about a PI investigating the disappearance of a young woman (and her boyfriend's dog). The grittiness of L.A. feels dirty enough to want to wash your hands and the characters are alive and flawed on the page. Gray makes an excellent protagonist for this story (both the current timeline and the backstory). I took away a half a point for her not being more jaded/self-aware/less-trusting. Overall, I loved this and I really hope it is the start of a series.

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I’m a sucker for women bounty hunters/PIs/detectives because they’re some of the most tenacious, resourceful characters you’ll ever have the pleasure of reading. They’ll get your perp, locate your missing man, and possibly wreck and/or find themselves along the way. Stephanie Plum, Charley Davidson, Cat DeLuca… Heck, even The Stalk from Saga and Nancy Drew make the list.

And now, it’s time to welcome Grayson Sykes to their ranks.

And Now She's Gone centres a Black woman PI with chronic pain and a past she’s tried to leave far behind. It begins almost benignly: a good-looking man hires Gray to find the woman who left him. But this isn’t just a goodbye-and-fuck-you—there’s more to Isabel than meets the eye. And it turns out that Gray’s past mirrors Isabel’s present in more ways than she’ll expect.

What can't be ignored about Isabel's story are the facts: Ian’s a man, and Isabel’s a woman. More than that, Ian’s a white man, and Isabel’s a Black woman. When women of colour face misogyny and abuse, it isn’t just domestic violence: it’s also racialized violence. And this book takes that overlap/distinction HEAD-ON.

Rachel Howzell Hall writes sharp, vivid prose; Gray’s tension is so palpable it rolls off her in waves—and really gave me the noir vibes of Juniper Song's LA in Follow Her Home. I devoured this book because Howzell’s language isn’t clichéd. It's laden with offbeat metaphors and quick, dry dialogue. Most of the time, this really WORKS: And Now She's Gone was compulsively readable as hell.


CONCLUSION: This won't be like any thriller you've read before. I started this book because I was mildly curious and I wanted to; somewhere around the halfway mark, I was reading because I HAD to—and I guarantee you'll be sucked in just the same.

And Gray—a Black woman PI who's gone through shit and come out the other side imperfect and resilient as FUCK—might just end up one of your new favourite sleuths.



Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for this gripping e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

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Grayson is a newly employed private investigator with her own past of secrets to contend with.
Leaving her abusive husband behind in Las Vegas years before she has started a new life and all is well until she sees a black SUV following her one day while on a case. and she knows deep in her gut it’s Sean the ex husband.
Taking place over two timelines several in the past and current we learn how Grayson has started a new life working at Radar Consulting and she’s happy to be working with a bunch of woman who are now all a big piece of her new life.
A girlfriend has gone missing and a pet dog and Gray has been employed by the Doctor boyfriend to find them.
Starts off seeming fairly simple until a whole can of worms is opened and we have a modern day mystery on our hands.
As Gray leaps into the case the more twisted it becomes and while this is going on Sean the baddie is out looking for her. But will she get him first? This time she will finish this herself at all costs. Even if she has to go to Jail.
For me the plot is adequate but I didn’t bond with the characters and we got to the end and I was blah is that it? It kinda just ended for me without a triple salchow spin at the end.
Yes lots of twists and turns. But too many mentions of procedures and repetition.
Great strong female leads who take no shit - which is always good in a book.
A strong three stars - wanted to give more but left me a bit flat.
Thank you Forge Books for the advanced copy and Rachel Howzell Hall
Expected publication date 22nd September.

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This is the first novel by Hall that I’ve read (which is a little strange, seeing as I have all of her previous novels…). Set in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, this is an engaging mystery about a woman’s disappearance and the novice PI tasked with finding her. Stitching together two parallel-yet-unconnected storylines, I quite enjoyed this.

And Now She’s Gone can be split into two parts: Grayson Sykes’s investigation of Isabel Lincoln’s disappearance, and also Gray’s own past. They take up roughly the same amount of space in the book. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it felt a little bit like reading two novels smooshed together. Both were good, though, so it wasn’t really a problem.

Elements of Gray’s past inform her approach to the missing person investigation, as she is led on a merry chase through Isabel’s life in LA and with her boyfriend, Ian O’Donnell. Nothing is as it seems, and Gray comes across plenty of red herrings. Is Ian a well-meaning, concerned partner, or is something more sinister going on? He is, after all, an incredibly self-involved doctor — Isabel’s disappearance is something that has happened to him, and he seems more interested in getting his dog back. And what about Isabel’s friends? They paint interesting and different pictures of Isabel, whose past also seems murky.

Meanwhile, it looks like Gray’s past might be catching up with her. Constantly looking over her shoulder, Gray’s investigation into Isabel’s disappearance takes some diversions as she comes to grips with the fact that she may need to confront a painful past. If not, it could have deadly consequences. The novel deals with domestic abuse quite well — the way victims rationalize it, convince themselves it is “their fault”, allowing the cycle to continue for too long, and its long-lasting impact. There are a few intense, horrifying scenes.

Hall is a very good writer, and her characters feel very well-constructed and real. Sometimes they make… interesting choices, which didn’t always make sense. Gray’s romantic life isn’t a normal one for the genre, as past traumas have clearly left scars and an void in her soul. The fact that Gray is a newly-minted PI was also a welcome element, as she is still making her way in the industry and figuring out the rules and options available to her. She adapts quickly, making some innovative and interesting decisions, employing some tactics that could go very wrong but are luckily pulled off with aplomb. There’s some good tension, and reveals come thick and fast towards the end of the book. I only figured it out shortly before Hall presents the big reveal, and I thought it was well done.

It’s not clear if this is the start of a new series or a stand-alone, but I would certainly be interested in reading another novel starring Grayson Sykes.

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Thank you to Forge Books for my review copy.

I really went back and forth with this review.
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Let's start with what I enjoyed.
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Diverse narrator. A Black woman PI? Yes, please. So often the thriller genre is very, very white. It was a nice change to have a diverse woman narrator to learn how that plays out in the White Boys club of the PI world.
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Grayson was such a well paced character. I became very attached and really wanted to find out exactly what was going on.
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I love dual timelines. Rachel did it well. That is not always the case....but bravo....well done.
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The atmosphere was very well written. It was somewhat dark and smokey and that really played to the plot.
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Now let's talk about what I didn't enjoy.
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The novel for me was somewhat of a letdown. Now, having said that...it is absolutely on me. It was very hyped and I let that go to my head.
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The novel was forgettable. Aside from the narrator, this one will not stay with me for a long time.
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It was a smidge predictable...
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I have said all that to say. I will recommend this novel. It was different enough for me that I think it is worth the read.

I'm ending at a solid 3 1/2 bumped up to a 4 star read. Go into this one with zero expectations and enjoy the ride!

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I really loved this whirlwind story of stolen and mistaken identities, a lost dog, and an abused woman fleeing her past. Set in LA and Las Vegas, this book was a slow burn that had me turning the pages well past my bedtime. There were a few too many characters in here to keep track of at times, but Racahel Howzell Hall tied everything up with a beautiful, gritty bow!

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Grayson is on a case as a PI. She is on the search for Isabel.... But does Isabel want to be found?
This is a true cat and mouse game.
At first I was a little worried.... Started out a little slow. By the 3rd chapter I was really getting into the book.
Graysons search becomes very dangerous.
I loved the twists and turns the book had. It's was very easy to read.
My first time reading anything from this author and I'll be glad when she writes another novel.

Thank you NetGalley for this Complimentary read!

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Loved this one so much!
Everything works - pace, characters, finale.
I was instantly intrigued, and loved the main character. Didn't see the ending coming, and enjoyed the twists

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Meet Grayson Sykes aka Gray - baby PI, fresh off writing reports for other investigators, bumbling around her first real case.
The case - Track down a missing dog (assumed to be kidnapped by the dog owner's girl friend)
Expectation - To be solved over a weekend
Reality - Not quite meets the expectation

What should have been a straightforward missing persons case quickly spirals out of control, exposing layer after layer as Gray painstakingly peels them off one by one as she heads closer to the truth.

Not quite a superficial thriller as the blurb would have you believe. The book deals with a lot of heavy stuff (majorly domestic abuse). In a genre dominated by self-medicating heroines of privilege, Gray was a breath of fresh air.

This was my first read by the author Rachel Howzall-Hall and I am sure it wouldn't be the last. Also, it would be great if the author gave us more of Gray and her merry band of urban sleuths and their backstories (especially that of Zadie "employee number one" Mendelbaum)

Much thanks to the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing me with this digital ARC. All opinions are mine.

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This was a fabulous novel, I’ve seen so many people rave about it and the accolades are well deserved. And Now She’s Gone by Rachel Howzell Hall should be on your radar. Its suspenseful, twisty, captivating, and Rachel has a very descriptive way of writing so every chapter will thoroughly entertain you!

Take a look:

Isabel Lincoln is gone. But is she missing?

It’s up to Grayson Sykes to find her. Although she is reluctant to track down a woman who may not want to be found, Gray’s search for Isabel Lincoln becomes more complicated and dangerous with every new revelation about the woman’s secrets and the truth she’s hidden from her friends and family.

Featuring two complicated women in a dangerous cat and mouse game, Rachel Howzell Hall’s And Now She’s Gone explores the nature of secrets — and how violence and fear can lead you to abandon everything in order to survive.

I enjoyed the character of Grayson, a PI carrying the pain of her past, drinking to escape, trying to get through the days. There is a parallel between the missing woman, Isabel, and Grayson. I love it when characters are flawed and dimensional; I think the author did a brilliant job with Grayson. And the book is one you won’t want to miss.

Coming out on September 22, pre-order now.

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Twists, turns and big surprises oh my! I really enjoyed this book. It kept me guessing the entire time! I found the storyline and plot to be clever and well thought out. It’s the kind of story that truly played out like a movie in my head.

I would love to see this story on the big screen! Isabel Lincoln is missing and Grayson Skyes is private investigator hired by Ian, Isabel’s boyfriend, to find her. As Gray investigates she starts to question why Isabel is missing in the first place and what she might be hiding. The story goes between present day, and Gray’s past. Grays story involves a troubled past with an abusive partner and a name change to escape. Isabel’s story is complex and will keep you guessing.

My only complaint is that there were a lot of characters to keep track of and I struggled a bit with that but the story was really good and I hope this isn’t the last of Grayson Skyes. I would love to read more stories with her in it. I loved loved loved her character. Please please please give me more of Grayson Skyes!

http://ramblinhamlin.com/and-now-shes-gone-review/

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I loved this book. It grabbed me on page one and didn’t let go of my attention until I finished it! Well written, intense, chilling, shocking, and unputdownable are very easy to use when describing this book! Cannot wait to read more by this author, because she definitely knows what thriller lovers yearn for and delivers them in style! It was original, but realistic and chilling throughout! Grab your copy today, as I promise if you need some thrills and chills, you’ll get it with this book!
Will make sure to buzz around platforms and use low Amazon reviewer number on release date!

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Lots of twists to keep you entertained. I wanted to tell Grayson to take care of herself though!

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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3 ½ stars

“Boyfriends and husbands, baby daddies and one-night stands were always madly, deeply, truly in love. Bloody love. Crazy love. Love-you-to-death kind of love.”

Last year I read the first book in Rachel Howzell Hall's 'Detective Elouise Norton' series. It had a great sense of place and a brilliant main character. And Now She's Gone shares many of its strengths. Once again Hall brings Los Angeles life and culture to life. From its more bourgeois or hipster-y venues to its neighbourhoods with their different identities. While And Now She's Gone lacks some of Land of Shadows' grit, the narrative does touch upon sensitive topics.
Grayson Sykes, who goes by Gray, works at a P.I. firm, founded by an old friend of hers, and she's just been assigned her very first 'big' case (previously she was tracing missing dogs).
Ian O'Donnell's girlfriend and his dog have seemingly vanished without a trace. In spite of Ian's seeming respectability, he's white, wealthy, a successful doctor, Gray soon begins to question his relationship to his missing girlfriend. Isabel Lincoln, the missing woman, has an elusive past and her disappearance is anything but a straightforward affair.
Interspersed throughout the narrative are fragments from Gray's own traumatic past. Her experiences inform her investigation, and she soon begins to question whether she wants to unite Ian with Isabel.
The novel juggles quite a few storylines. At times I did feel more invested in Gray's story than in Isabel's disappearance. Perhaps because the case becomes a rather thorny affair, and there were certain revelations that seemed a bit convenient. Still, I really liked Gray and her character arc. Hall pays attention to the smaller, and often overlooked, moments that make up a P.I's investigation (such as non-functioning pens or dying batteries). Gray's was an admirable and relatable protagonist. I do wish that some of those 'then' scenes were cut, merely because I would have preferred more time with Gray in the 'now'.
Gray's circle of friends were entertaining and served to lighten the overall mood. In spite of its serious themes, the story did have a breezy tone (a more modern Janet Evanovich?) and I definitely liked Gray's sense of humour: “The Armed Forces Career was steps away from Panda Express. From broccoli beef lover to proud marine in less than twenty yards.”
The romance subplot kind of irritated me. While the sexual tension between these two was clear, and I wanted Gray to be happy, I did found the whole 'you're not ready for a relationship' line to be rather presumptuous (who is he to decide whether Gray is read or not?). While there were some twists that I didn't see coming, I wasn't entirely convinced by the story's resolution. It felt a bit too fantastical.
Still, I did find this novel to be entertaining. Hall's descriptions managed to be colourfully amusing:
“Las Vegas in the morning was like the hot guy in a dark club who, in the light, had buck teeth, hair plugs, and smelled like a fifties-era bowling. Morning Vegas needed to stay in bed until dusk, until the neon and the glass and full-on commitment to the illusion worked best.”
I liked how aware the narrative is of certain tropes (Gone Girl is indeed mentioned). There were quite a few nasty individuals in this novel. Ian was a repulsive guy (more than once he comes out with 'I'm a nice guy' and says racist shit along the lines of 'I don't see colour'). We also have an abusive man who does come out with non-to-credible lines: “We could've ruled the world”.
And Now She's Gone would probably make a great summer read. It has compelling protagonist, a fast-paced narrative, and a vividly rendered setting.

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I love being a reviewer as I get to read books months before the public's release and recently I was in the mood for a mystery and I had previously enjoyed Rachel's debut novel, so I was looking forward to And Now She's Gone. The book starts suspenseful with a character being on the run and we have dark SUVs. In the next chapter, we meet a group of girlfriends/ work colleagues who are part of the same P.I firm Rader Consulting. One of them Grayson Sykes has been given her first-ever missing-persons case and is so excited. For her though, this case is a bit personal as she was once like Isabel Lincoln. We learn throughout the novel about Grayson's past and then near the end, it looks like it has finally caught up with her eight years later. Normally missing person cases can be straightforward, but Isabel doesn't want to be found and has gone too long lengths to stay hidden and for Isabel - changing her name, etc, and running is a common thread in her life, this is by far her first rodeo. Soon Grayson will be running for her own life as she tries to track down the complex web and untangle to find out who is Isabel and why is she hiding? This book had lots of twists and turns and when Isabel's story comes unraveling at the end of the book - I have to admit I didn't see that coming and was in two minds with how the story the finished as it had a bit of an ending that reminded me of The Departed starring Leonardo DiCaprio - which I hated that ending, it made me angry and like that movie - the ending made me feel unresolved. Also, this particular book has a strong black character focus as well which is timely for the current state of events happening in the world. For those wanting a good intricate mystery, then this is the read for you and come September, don't forget to check out "And Now She's Gone" by Rachel Howzell Hall.

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