Okay! This is soooo much more than I expected! Action packed, riveting, dazzling, twisty and absolutely unputdownable!

For the attention of movie producers: this secret gem could be adapted into an amazing action/ thriller/ drama movie or extremely binge watch worthy limited series. It captivates you from the beginning, hurling so many whirlwind twists at you and picking your interest, focus, entire energy.

You just have to cancel your entire schedule. Pull the plug off your loved ones not to disturb you, locking yourself in a safe, silent, peaceful room with lots of refreshments and munchies unless you want to start stress eating your own fingers. Just cancel your responsibilities, unnecessary work loads, tasteless binge watch experience or any other thing you do at the night time. So you can enjoy your fantastic reading experience!

So here’s quick summary of our story: imagine to be in Matt Pine’s shoes: a promising NYU filmmaking student whose brother is in jail because of killing his girlfriend. He recently had a falling out with his father because he and his 17 years old sister Maggie focused their own energies to prove his brother’s innocence ( which he doesn’t believe in them)by using entire financial resources of their family.

And now FBI agent Sarah Keller appears in his campus and tells him an unfortunate incident happened at Tulsa/ Mexico where his last four members of family was on a trip. Both parents and two siblings are dead because of gas leak poisoning. And Mexican authorities need a next of kin to sign the papers which means Matt has to fly over there and before that he has to face with his brother Danny to share those heart wrenching news.

Matt is devastated and his family’s death was not to only worse things he has to deal. The very same night of their death, he goes outside to get fresh air and a suspicious man with a scar on his face, wearing baseball cap, pushing him into moving cars.

Throughout his trip of Mexico, he needs to look behind his shoulders became somebody is watching him. And Sarah Keller also finds out there is a foul play about his parents’ murder.

Could the death of his family members related with Danny’s murder case? Did his father’s determination to find the real killer of Danny’s girlfriend drag him to the dangerous places and put his family on the radar of powerful people? And could his brother be really innocent?

A Netflix documentary has been released and now filmmakers of documentary insist they have new evidences to help him find out the truth.

Matt has to find a way to bring out justice for his family without getting killed. This is a real cat-mouse chase!

Overall: Characters are adorable and ultra smart Maggie who is brave, brilliant and mature girl who tries to hold her family together and badass, cool, adorable agent Sarah Keller ( if this book will be a movie, Charlize Theron is best casting option to play her!) are my favorites. Even the characters have small parts like Matt’s friends Ganesh, Kala and homeless chess player Reggie were brilliant.

I loved the intriguing, intense writing style and brilliant outcome of the story which deserved my full, shiny five stars!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ Minotaur Books for sharing this incredible ARC with me in exchange my honest opinions.

This is pretty good. Very good creepy feel. Really good writing style. Flowed well and had a good rhythm. Characters were well thought out.

A highly addictive from the first page. If you have plans do not start this book. A Gillian Flynn esq style page turner. I could not put it down. Please push this novel. It’s that good. There is big hopes for 2021 crime reading.

Alex Pine has been given terrible news. His entire family has died after being exposed to a gas leak on a vacation to Mexico. It would appear to be a tragic accident, but US authorities don’t seem so sure, even if they won’t tell Alex why. The Pine family was already infamous after the conviction of Alex’s brother Danny, for killing his girlfriend. Many people believe Danny is innocent, but Alex saw something the night of the murder that makes him believe his brother is guilty. Returning to his hometown to bury his family, Alex faces scrutiny from the community even as the authorities become more and more convinced the tragedy in Mexico is connected to Danny’s case. This story is a puzzle inside a puzzle, intricately crafted and bound to keep you guessing