Two young women head off for a weekend lake retreat with very different goals, one believes she is getting engaged, the other is thinking of murder.
Cleo Ray is a rising star in the world of influencers with her fitness and lifestyle routines. She is publicly dating a fellow influencer named Sandy Finch but out of the public eye she has been dating Rebecca Beck) Alden. Shortly after the two young women rented a canoe, Beck is dead and Cleo has left to meet Sandy and a group of influencers for a weekend of sex and hiking. The group uncharacteristically leaves their phones behind and are shocked when a fully armed SWAT team show up and arrest Cleo.
The story is in the form of a series of interviews in podcast/Serial style with everyone from Cleo, the attorneys, friends and family to the reporter and police giving their thoughts and impressions of the trial.
It may take readers a couple of chapters to get used to the format but I found myself drawn in to the story from the beginning. This is a modern retelling of “ An American Tragedy” which I have not read but is mentioned at the beginning and in the authors notes. He also includes a listing of characters and which of his characters represents those in the original telling. Both stories are based on the real life drowning of a woman named Grace Mae Brown by her lover. I really enjoyed this but once I read the book I found the cover haunting/disturbing. This is an excellent debut and authors to watch.
Thank you to #netgalley and Harper Collins for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. “ Anatomy of Desire” is scheduled to be released May 11th, 2021.

I really enjoyed L. R. Dorn's The Anatomy of Desire. Social media influencer Cleo and her secret girlfriend go out in a canoe on a lake but only one comes back. The true crime documentary style of writing kept me hooked and the depiction of the world of social media influencers felt timely and authentic. I thought I knew how the story would end but I was surprised.

Cleo Ray is a social media influencer who is on trial for the murder of her “secret girlfriend”, Beck. The story is told in Podcast format, which as a reader, I’m finding more and more common lately.

The story - Cleo and Beck go out onto a remote lake and Beck is found drowned, with blunt force trauma. Cleo is tracked down later with her other influencer friends nearby; they had a planned weekend of being “unplugged”. This is then followed by the trial.

I found the book didn’t give us any surprises or didn’t really give the reader anything new - no plot twists or big revelations; it was a disappointing ending.

I loved the format of this book. Conversation form really let’s you know the characters and in this book you really get to see them develop. I was floored by the ending but it made sense.

Sometimes I enjoy picking up and reading a book that I have little knowledge about. I’d requested and received a DRC of this book from William Morrow. It had been sitting on my kindle for a bit when I decided it was time to give it a try.

Following the life and trial of Influencer Cleo Ray, the current state of affairs in the United States is on full display. From political and religious views, to the effects of social media, to how our different generations interact - this tale shows it all and through one of our favorite mediums, a podcast.

This was an entertaining read that while not one I just couldn’t put down, it was one that I liked.

Such an interesting read, during a very time tumultuous time in the world. We are totally inundated with all things viral. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube. We are always waiting to get the up to the minute, tweet etc.. The Anatomy of Desire, captures this culture, in such an excellent way.. The ability to make ones self an influencer and the ability to make a living out of it is all, Claire Griffin finds herself in the midst of all this hype. She seemingly has it all, the ability to influence & make a ton of money off of it. She has a beautiful life, a gorgeous boyfriend and all the right friends. But is this life real? At what cost did this success come? How will her childhood affect the present? The author does an excellent job of weaving all these things into one great story. This story has so much depth, considering the topic. Then one day, all seems to implode. Cleo is with a woman named Beck Alden, in a remote lake town in California. An hour later Beck is found dead and Cleo is missing.. what happened? Was it murder? Where is Cleo? The novel spends it time describing both ladies, their interactions and how they ended up here.. i was hooked from the money I started this one. I loved the way the author told this twisted story, between present day and the past. The character development is excellent. Such a great novel, I have recommended it to everyone. I want to thank Netgalley & L.R. Dorn, for my copy of The Anatomy of Desire. This was a 4 1/2 star read for me.. such a page turner.. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!!!

The Anatomy of Desire is a modern retelling of An American Tragedy, a book I haven’t read, so I went into reading this book blind. The main character, Cleo, is a modern-day fitness influencer who has overcome a difficult childhood to become a popular public figure. She is earning good money and has surrounded herself with a glamorous group of friends. Cleo is romantically involved with both a woman (Beck) and a man (Sandy). It seems she has everything she has dreamed of and is on the verge of achieving all her desires. Things unravel quickly when Cleo and Beck go for a quiet canoe ride and Beck is discovered dead in the water. Cleo is now missing.

The interesting thing about this book is the style in which it was written. It’s presented in the form of a podcast or docu-series. Because of this, you get right to the story without any extra narrative. I got used to this style very quickly and it made the story very compelling to read. You were able to see the different points of view depending on who was speaking. One drawback to this style was that you didn’t really delve into the characters and see what they were thinking. You were only witness to what they said.

Is Cleo guilty of murdering Beck? That is the focus of the story. This was a great courtroom drama and it kept me wondering until the end. Innocent victim or plotting sociopath? I went back and forth between these two for most of the story. This was a very quick read, and I recommend this story for anyone who likes true crime drama.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Good, twisty thriller! Did social media influencer Cleo Ray murder her girlfriend Beck because she was afraid that Beck would out her on social media? Or did Beck drown because she didn't know how to swim. Inquiring minds want to know. Dorn does a great job of building intrigue quickly and sustaining it throughout the book. I like that the story is told from many different perspectives.

This is a reimagining of the novel, ‘An American Tragedy’ by Theodore Dreiser, so if you’ve read that, you probably know where this story is headed! Personally, I hadn’t even heard of ‘An American Tragedy,’ so I went into this book more or less blind.

This book isn’t written in a traditional paragraph format. Instead, you’re told Cleo’s story via snippets of dialogue that come together to form various episodes of a docu-series about the case. This style of writing isn’t necessarily my favorite (I like it when books have bits told in this format, but I wasn’t a fan of the entire book being formatted this way), but I do think it added to the crime/mystery atmosphere of the book. Honestly, if nothing else, it’s a really creative way to write a book. I’ve been enjoying the trend of thrillers that feature social media influencers, but this one kind of missed the mark for me because the formatting made it hard for me to connect with the characters and it doesn’t seem like the legal/criminal justice system was well-researched beforehand.

The Anatomy of Desire isn't a conventional murder mystery and it really has that going for it. I haven't read an American Tragedy, but in a genre combined with psychological thrillers, mystery novels have just come off as very formulaic lately. And while the concept of a social media influencer being at the center of a murder trial isn't unique in and of itself, the concept of telling the events leading up to, during, and after the trial in a documentary format makes it unique and fantastic. I wouldn't want to read every book like this, but this hit the right note - telling the story from the perspective of a variety of characters on both sides of the crime. It makes you question whether you believe Cleo really killed Beck, as well as if you want her to be guilty or not. It's also easy to see the characters as real people - ambitious, dedicated to their jobs, extending or withholding sympathies from Cleo. And while the book sets up for it, it ends with something that I would have never expected, yet leaves a satisfying conclusion to the whole story. If you like murder mysteries but are getting worn out, and are willing to try something new, the book is wholly satisfying.

The format of this book was a bit confusing to begin with, but quickly started to make sense. It made the book move right along. It is apparently a reimagining of An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser, which I have not read.
At the end of the book, I was still wondering if Beck’s death was an accident or murder, if Cleo was guilty or innocent. The choices Cleo made throughout the book drove the story — i read it quickly, once I got into it, it was hard to put down.

Cleo is a rising star as an influencer on social media and is helping people improve their lives. She has overcome situations during her life and kept them a secret. Cleo makes a decision that has both positive and negative repercussions. This novel is for readers who enjoy courtroom drama.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A social media influencer is caught between two loves and one of her lovers ends up dead. A trial and media circus ensues. Timely novel with the story told from multiple perspectives.

The story revolves around Cleo Ray who is a fit-fluencer who seem to have everything going on with her life. She has a career, she has the following and with that, she has a steady income. But all of that changed when she was accused of drowning a woman, Beck.
Beck is someone close to her and as someone as jovial as Cleo, it is damn near impossible that she could kill her.
Is this trial going to be as big as the other trial by media storm from years ago?
In the age of modern media, all eyes are on the trial and all are following the story but no one knows the truth but Cleo herself.

This book reminded me of Daisy Jones and The Six format. It wasn't in paragraph form. It was in a dialogue way. It can be a bit overwhelming at first because of the characters presented right off the bat but as the story progresses you get the hang of it.
The authors (yep LR Dorn is a pseudonym for Matt Dorff and Suzanne Dunn) wrote the novel in a realistic way and in a way that I am really watching a show! I was hooked the moment I read less than 5 pages. Right from the get go, I hated some characters and then in the middle of reading I had a change of heart and then the feeling went back.
The authors made sure to play with your feelings and it worked out so well.

Thank you William Morrow for the ARC and this is an honest review.
I highly recommend this book to those who like crime docuseries.

I can see why this is classified as a psychological thriller. It makes you think about the choices you make everyday. The format is very different from other mystery/thrillers I have read but it works. It was easier to keep up with the characters. I like a book about justice. It was different for one reason because the reader knows very early on that the main character is guilty but it's her fate that you have to wait until the end to find out. It would be a great book for book club because there are many things that could be discussed. I liked it. It wasn't a page turner for me but it definitely has an element of shock.

A timely book about Influencers and murder. On the internet you can be however you want to be. You can show just the portions that promote the image or product you want to sell. And that is just what Claire Griffith does. Unhappy in her religious upbringing, she moves to California and get a job with her Uncle in the branding industry. A quick name change to Cleo Ray and she is on her way to the live she wants. She is an exercise/lifestyle guru. Her brand is upbeat, positive and mostly chaste. No scandals her.
Until... when her close friend and lover drowns after the two of them are supposedly up at a lake for a marriage proposal, all Cleo's dreams start to unravel. Also near the lake is her boyfriend and a group of fellow influencers. What follows is a sensational trial built on the people we are and the people we show the world through our social media accounts. The trial is a circus and no one's brand is safe.
Good and relevant read.
Thank you to Scene of the Crime FB group and Netgalley for the early ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher William Morrow for the advance reader edition of the book. I have been so very fortunate lately to read some great fiction and this one was devoured within a day. That doesn’t happen often. I loved it, hated it and it made me think and feel for fictional characters.

Why did I choose it? Not that it’s relevant, but I needed something to read and had finished A Woman of Intelligence by Karin Tanabe yesterday. Also, irrelevant, but YOU NEED TO READ THAT TOO. I saw this read in the queue and thought what the heck. Not particularly attracted to the cover, but interested in the synopsis, I dove in. The method is interview style which I loved in Daisy Jones and the Six (BUY IT NOW if you haven’t already) but for some reason it took a little bit for me to find the rhythm of the interviews, so I was at first irritated before becoming interested in the story. The premise is that our main character, Cleo, has been involved in something bad and is being tried for it. Since we’re moving back and forth between friends, family, her attorneys, her prosecutors and the media, it takes a while to understand what is going on. I didn’t like Cleo at first. She’s a social media influencer and she’s very driven. She’s not painted in a good light, but everyone has flaws, right? Cleo even smells guilty to me and that is saying something given we’re talking about a narrative. She’s caught up in the social media world and has to constantly think about her followers, her sponsors and potential sponsors and it seems that although she is working her butt off to be successful, it’s a weird success where everything you do is under a microscope and you basically put the microscope in anyone’s hands that want to examine you. You are trying to be in the spotlight. Shocker, I ended up sympathizing with her, if not somewhat liking her. Again, this story made me feels such conflicting emotions.

The story is a reimagining of Theodore Dreiser’s novel which I haven’t read and the related movie that I’ve never watched, A Place in the Sun. Regardless, at about 20% into the story I was hooked and didn’t put it down until it was finished. By the end, I emotionally didn’t know what to think or how to feel about it. It made me wonder who is telling the truth, who is responsible, is Cleo innocent or is she what everyone beyond her family wants her to be; a heartless killer.

I don’t want to spoil this, but I loved it and if you like dark and twisty while told in a way that seems factual (interviews) this one is for you. I don’t give many five stars, but this one deserved it in my humble bookworm opinion.

The Anatomy of Desire - by L R Dorn.

This book is written as a modernized “An American Tragedy by” Theodore Dreiser's, a classic crime drama. I have never read 'An American Tragedy', but now know after reading LR Dorn's, 'The Anatomy of Desire', I want to! I loved The Anatomy of Desire! This was well written and in a podcast documentary form. I believe this adds to the exciting nature of this book!

THANK YOU Netgalley for the ebook preview. I will be telling anyone looking for an amazing read to pick up this novel!

The Anatomy of Desire is an excellent update on Theodore Dreiser's 1925 novel An American Tragedy. The author chose to present the story as a transcript of a documentary about a sensational murder trial, which makes for quick and lively pacing. I found it difficult to put down while I was reading and difficult to stop thinking about after I finished.

Brilliant mystery with a breath of fresh air and completely unique format.

I have not read Theodore Dreiser’s classic called An American Tragedy, which this novel is a modern reimagining of, but I thoroughly enjoyed it nonetheless. The Anatomy of Desire is a very unique mystery of a murder and a missing person told in the form of an investigative documentary transcripts, The said missing person is Cleo Ray, a successful social media influencer in LA who had built her glamorous life from scraps, coming from a highly conservative family. But since the tragic death of a young Beck Alde who was on a canoe at a serene lake together with Cleo, the woman is once again confronted with her past.

First of all, as an avid thriller/mystery reader, I love finding something totally new. The unique writing style on The Anatomy of Desire was really exciting and fresh, even though it also meant the reader got less access to the characters' inner thoughts. I also really enjoyed the combination of tropes in this book, including nature, influencers/social media, wealth, LA glam culture and class, thanks to which this book was more than just a simple light mystery.

Huge yes from me!

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.