First I have to say I am a huge Hannah Mary McKinnon fan. She writes compelling dramas. This was a bit different. It was darker, and far more thriller rather than domestic suspense. However, it was almost a FUNNY thriller because Lucas the con-man while deplorable was so deluded he was funny. As always, I enjoyed Ms. McKinnon’s book and look forward to the next one!

Another great psychological thriller/mystery by Hannah Mary McKinnon. May be her best book written yet!

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle by Harlequin Trade Publishing and #NetGalley for my honest opinion. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Hard to put down! What an engaging read.

Okay! It was one of the most interesting thing to witness how a ruthless con man/murderer/liar’s mind works at the first hand: I always enjoy reading the story from the villain’s perspective.

And I have to tell: the author achieved a fabulous job. The sarcastic tone of Lucas and the way of telling his life story: how he survived when he was living with his gambler and drunk dad, living with the risk of being homeless, penniless, how he becomes the ruthless scumbag by reinventing himself ( also getting a new name) and covering his tracks on last decade, how he seduces his wife Michele to marry with him.

He never hated her: she has some issues like over spending money, selfishness, cockiness but that’s so normal: the woman is loaded! Let’s not forget her good qualities: she’s elegant, beautiful and wealthy( okay, it’s not good to define a person with her money but yeah the way Lucas portraits her not help us to visualize more positive attitudes about her) dreamy package to get marry and divorce in three years.

But the strict prenup, his father’s deteriorating medical condition and pandemic force him change his plans: he needs more financial resources so he may act fast and get rid of his wife.

So he makes an impeccable plan to kill his wife and get away with murder. But now he starts getting dead wife’s photos, finding traces of forced entry to his house. Somebody is watching and playing mind games with him. But who? Could it be Travis: addict young brother of Michelle who is living with him? Or could it be someone from his dark past? Could it be the hit man he has hired to kill his wife for demanding more money?

The opening of the book and Lucas’s POV was brilliant! It was so close to be one of my best thriller reads! But after the strong opening, the book’s pace got slow down. We definitely stuck inside Lucas’ mind and read his inner monologues and nothing happened for a long time to increase the tension.

The identity of the person all of this scheme was predictable. So I can give three stars to the second third of the book.

At the last third thankfully the pace fastened and things got more heated.

The revelations were predictable as I told you before but the ending chapter was FANTASTIC! I’m not giving away more but I literally giggled when I read it!

I decided to round up 3.5 stars to 4 for greatly developed villain portrait and the divine ending!
I think some chapters in the middle would be shortened or emitted, the pacing problem could be solved!

Overall: Lucas Forrester will be one of my all time favorite villains!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing/ MIRA for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

This book was another winner from Hannah Mary McKinnon! The protagonist is vicious yet self-aware and the plot was incredible and managed to surprise me time after time. Loved it!!!

The press is full of stories of women who were “disappeared” by their husbands. The men who kill them are the same men that pose tearfully in front of cameras, begging for the return of their beloved wives. McKinnon takes those headlines and delivers a delightfully wicked revenge against the monsters who live among us. Lucas Forester married his wife for one reason, and it wasn’t love. Michelle had money, the kind of money that mere millionaires would drool over. Lucas has always known that one day his wife would conveniently disappear and he puts his plan into action; hiring a hitman to do the dirty work. Meanwhile he cries and begs for her safe return. It looks like he might get away with it; he’s an incredible actor. But Lucas hasn’t fooled everyone, and now it’s his turn to be afraid, to be very afraid