William Landay starts his latest novel with a small piece of writerly sleight-of-hand, crafting an introduction from the viewpoint of Philip Solomon, the fictional narrator of the book’s first segment, that reads as if it’s he, the author himself, speaking instead of a fictional character. It’s an ever so slightly disorienting conceit that wrongfoots the reader from the jump, setting the tone for the rest of this domestic thriller that revolves around the disappearance of Jane Larkin, the lovely housewife and mother of three who seems to have simply vanished one afternoon, leaving her devastated family behind.

Philip is an author of some success, having retired from both the law and journalism to pursue writing fiction full-time instead. As a teenager, he was friends with Jeff Larkin, Jane’s middle child, and had a crush on Miranda, Jeff’s younger sister. As an adult, he’s drawn back into their orbit when the siblings ask if he’ll write a book about their mother’s disappearance.

Not everyone is happy about this, of course. Alex, the eldest Larkin child, thinks that this is just a part of Jeff and Miranda’s ongoing attempts to sully the name of their father Dan, whose mental faculties are deteriorating as his Alzheimer’s progresses. While Jeff certainly harbors a consistent animosity towards the man he believes killed his mother, Miranda is more ambivalent. She is, after all, Dan’s full-time caretaker, not a role she would play if she was fully convinced of his guilt.

Philip’s research brings him to retired Detective Tom Glover, the first officer in charge of the case. Jane’s disappearance has stuck with him for over forty years now, in large part due to the relationship he developed with the grieving ten year-old Miranda:

QUOTE
Glover was startled by his own emotions as much as Miranda’s. He was pierced. He resolved not to move until the little girl released him.

When she finally unclinched her arms, his shoulder was wet with tears and snot, and he understood that he–his shoulder; his awkward, inexpert touch–had somehow comforted this child. The strange emotion was sinking away, and he struggled to name it before it vanished. Not pity, not protectiveness, not love. It was a kind of covenant between them.
END QUOTE

Despite being fueled by this unspoken promise to find out what happened to Jane, Glover soon finds himself running up against an impassable, invisible wall built of lack of evidence and witnesses both. Decades later, he’ll tell Philip that it’s as if Jane disappeared into thin air.

As the novel continues through its four parts, the perspective shifts, unveiling different aspects of the case. Was Dan Larkin responsible for the death of his wife? Almost everyone who knows him – Glover included – seems to believe so, despite there being nothing but the most circumstantial of evidence pointing to his guilt.

Dan himself is hardly the most sympathetic of suspects. As a successful defense attorney, he’s certainly represented his fair share of wife killers. He also hasn’t been subtle about feeling bored in his marriage. But does any of that translate to being a murderer himself? Jeff certainly thinks this is the case, in the section told from his perspective as an adult, watching his father in court:

QUOTE
It is all predictable TV-lawyer stuff. Only my dad’s strutting, preening style makes it interesting.

Unfortunately for Dad, his evident ego seems to put off as many jurors as it impresses. One man in particular–back row, far left–smirks and looks away, as if Dad’s bombast has set off his bullshit detector.

Still, I admit I feel a perverse pride in my father’s performance. In all these years, I have never actually seen him in court, and it is instantly obvious why he is so good at his job. He is a murderer, a liar, and a virtuoso lawyer, and these things seem not unrelated. Am I crazy to be a little proud of him? (Answer: yes. I know this.)
END QUOTE

While the novel whipsaws back and forth between “did he or didn’t he?”, it also presents a sensitive portrayal of perhaps the most complicated kind of family life. The Larkin kids all love their mom, but after she disappears must rely almost exclusively on their dad to help them keep to a semblance of normalcy. He insists he didn’t kill Jane, and each of the children’s willingness to believe him shifts and changes over the course of this emotionally charged, layered novel. More than being just a domestic thriller, All That Is Mine I Carry With Me is also a nuanced look at the devastating toll an unsolved disappearance can have on a family, and the crushing effect that years of doubt can have on the psyches of those left behind.

I struggled getting into this book and staying interested. I feel like I’m in the minority here though, so I kept pushing. Although some sections got quite lengthy, it certainly kept me guessing who killed Jane and I enjoyed book 4. The inner dialogue of Dan’s dementia was quite eerie and intriguing.

Thank you to William Landay, Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This long awaited return for William Landay totally lived up to my hopes and expectations. At times It had me questioning if I had understood what I was reading right up to the last minute. Although the truth is out there early on, I kept wondering what was really true. Three children are left behind when their mother disappears in 1975. Multiple narrators tell the story of what happened with differing views on the guilt or innocence of the father. The story flips among decades effortlessly while showing the impact on each life. The story does not all come together until very end and the family does not come together. I totally enjoyed this book.

All That is Mine I Carry With Me is the type of book that lingers with you long after you have finished reading it. It is the story of a mother who goes missing and the impact of that event on the lives of 2 of her 3 children, Jeff and Miranda. Their father, Dan Larkin, is the only suspect in their mother's disappearance but there is no evidence in the case to indict him so the children are left to be brought up in his care.

Told from different points of view broken up into Books, I would say this was more of a family drama than a mystery and, like Defending Jacob, has quite a twist at the end. Unlike Defending Jacob, I felt left hanging with no real closure to the story. Still, I think this was a powerful book that dragged in places but was always interesting and gripping.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advance copy.

This is one of those books that, when you finish, you text people and recommend it. It’s the least you can do when you read something as emotional, creative, and tense as this new book by William Landay (Defending Jacob).
Young Miranda comes home to an empty house, which usually never happens. Her mother isn’t where she’s supposed to be. Miranda’s brothers, Alex and Jeff, are equally confused as the hours drag on, and still nothing. Miranda’s dad, Dan Larkin, is crushed. He displays all the signs of trauma and fears one should show when a loved one disappears. But one investigator, Tom Glover, isn’t convinced. He feels that Dan’s years as a criminal lawyer (for some unsavory characters) have trained him to display all the symptoms of a devastated husband.
The days go by, turn into months, then years. Miranda and Jeff continue to suspect their father. The oldest son, Alex, is a Minnie Me of Dan, supporting him and absorbing the same cocky stature. But Detective Glover never fully gives up, even years after he’s retired. This is the one case that won't let him rest. And as for me, the reader? I don’t know what to think. That's what makes me love this book. The suspense, the flipping back and forth on Dan’s innocence, and the toll this has taken on Jeff and Miranda’s life kept me reading until the book was done.
The characters are so realistic, you’ll grow to feel strong emotions towards certain ones, and patience wears thin with others. I recommend this book to lovers of tense fiction, thrillers, and family drama.
Thanks to Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date is March 7, 2023.

Defending Jacob is one of my favorite books of all time and I was so excited for this one. Which made how much I didn't like the book even worse. The story itself was fine, but not surprising in the least. The structure of the book was an absolute mess, and yet it was probably the most important part. First we're introduced to a childhood friend, spend a ton of time with them, to never hear from them again. And then there were additional sections that left me confused. The constant back and forth with the characters ages was also really jarring. I get what the author was trying to do, yet felt like the structure got in the way of telling a great story.

I'm not sure where to start with this book, except to say that my opinion is in the minority.

What I liked:
• Great writing, great dialogue.
• There was ample time for character development. I loved seeing the interaction between the siblings, and between the aunt and the dad.
• Some great courtroom interaction. We get to see Dan for the pompous yet effective lawyer that he is.
• Creative format - Book 2 (you'll have to see for yourself), and then suddenly -a lack of quotation marks - I'd love to hear the author's intention. I'm thinking it was to denote the rawness of the conversations?

What I struggled with:
• There were long swatches of narrative where essentially nothing happens. This was a slow build (except for Book 2) where there is a lot of speculation. A long time goes by before we have an idea about what has happened to Jane.
• The ending. Whew. It was not what I expected!

I loved Defending Jacob, so I was happy to get an advance reader's copy of this book, thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group.

In a Nutshell: Better if read as a family drama with elements of mystery, than as a crime thriller. Not fast-paced but still gripping. Recommended to literary fiction readers who would like a well-developed, slowburn story.

Story Synopsis:
In November 1975, ten-year-old Miranda Larkin came home to find it empty, her mother nowhere in sight but everything else in its usual spot. Neither her dad nor her brothers know anything, What happened to Jane Larkin? Did she go somewhere? Was she kidnapped? Murdered?
The suspicion automatically falls on Jane’s husband Dan, a criminal attorney who is vehement about his innocence. But in the lack of concrete evidence, the case goes cold.
How does Jane’s abrupt disappearance affect the Larkin family? We get to hear this from four characters’ first person perspectives. The book is divided into four sections called ‘Books’, with each character getting one ‘Book’ to narrate their version of the events.

Note: Don’t read the GR blurb. Go in blind.

Where the book worked for me:
✔ I loved the structuring of the book. It starts with an arc about a popular author writing a book about his friend’s missing mom, but soon, it is clear that the plot is more intricate than it appears. There’s some really clever storytelling in his novel.
✔ The ending, especially the climactic scene. Brief, yet brilliant! It’s the kind that will stay in your head long after you close the final page.
✔ Though the book is quite languid in pace, the story and the characters kept me hooked. Of course, it helped that I wasn’t reading this as a mystery-thriller. Otherwise, the slow unfurling of key events would have disappointed me. The second half is much faster.
✔ Despite this primarily being a family drama, the author still manages to throw in a few twists that caught me unawares.
✔ With four sections coming from four distinct characters, the first person writing could have been easy to muddle up. But each got a distinct voice, and I never lost track of who was narrating that section of the story. What also helped was how the four characters were not necessarily ones you would expect as narrators.
✔ A character-oriented story is nothing without well-developed characters. This one aces on that front. All the main characters are layered rather than unidimensional, thereby adding to the depth of the plot. Their emotions are explored well, and the repercussions of a shocking event on a family are detailed out realistically.
✔ The courtroom scenes were mesmerising. After a long time have I seen a book tackle the legal aspects of a plot so well.
✔ This wasn’t the kind of book that spoonfed its readers everything. There are clues here and there to help your mind stay active while you try to solve the mystery alongside the cast. Know that not all ends are neatly tied, but this adds to the impact of the book.
✔ One of the characters suffers from dementia later in life, and through that perspective, we get to see how hardhitting and unbiased dementia can be. I found this portrayal emotional but well-handled. If you are a caregiver to someone with dementia, it might be triggering.

Where the book could have worked better for me:
❌ The blurb stresses on the mystery angle more than it is used in the plot itself. While Jane Larkin’s disappearance is the lynchpin of the entire plot, the focus is more on the aftermath than on the mystery itself.
❌ The author doesn’t go overboard in giving us in-depth emotional perspectives of the entire family, but sticks to a few select ones. However, this leaves a couple of characters almost like strangers till the end, though they are a part of the immediate Larkin family. Alex Larkin gets an especially raw deal.
❌ No quotation marks around the dialogues in Books 3 & 4. I can tolerate this writing style, but I am not a fan, especially when the conversations are lengthy and all we have is line after line of back-and-forth dialogue with no quotation marks and no indicator of the speaker’s name.
❌ The cover is quite boring. I wouldn’t have given this a second glance had it not been for the glowing reviews it received from my Goodreads friends.

Overall, this is an unusual kind of family drama with shades of literary fiction and suspense mystery. Definitely recommended when you want a slowburn but captivating read. This book will thrill you, but not in the adrenaline rush kind of way.

4.25 stars.

My thanks to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine and NetGalley for the DRC of “All That Is Mine I Carry With Me”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

This story was told from four different points of view which usually makes for an interesting read. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this method of storytelling in All That Is Mine I Carry With Me. Book 2 was told by a presumably dead woman which I found hard to relate to and Book 3 had no quotation marks to define conversations so it was much harder to follow who was speaking. The story went back and forth in time over the course of the book and tended to be long and drawn out in parts. The premise of the story was good and the ending, while not a total surprise, was revealed in an intriguing manner. Not sure the method in which Mr. Landay told the story worked for me though. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was one of the most anticipated reads for 2023. I loved Landay's last novel, Defending Jacob, so I was so excited to see more by him. 

This book is a slow burn intense family drama. You have to be patient with this story, let it unfold as the chapters and years go on. 

The structure of this book is so interesting. It is split into 4 books. Book 1 starts with Phil, he is writing a book about the long ago disappearance of Jane Larkin. Jane disappeared without a trace one afternoon, leaving her husband and 3 children's confused and alone. The finger is quickly pointed at Dan, Jane's husband. The whole town and even some of the children believe he is responsible...but there is no body, and no proof. 

As the book moves along through Book 2, 3, and 4; the point of view changes to other characters in this story. The change of perspective really created an interesting story. The most compelling theme in this novel, is the question of loyalty of family. As Dan's 3 children consider their mother will never come back, do they believe their father is responsible...who are they loyal to? Who do they believe?

This would be a fantastic book club book. There is so much to unpack and dig through. Definably a book I wont soon forget.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Worth the wait!
Scene: 1975 Jane Larkin homemaker/wife of Dan (lawyer/comes from money) and mother of Alex, Jeff, and Miranda. One day 10 year old Miranda comes home from school to an empty house. Janes purse and belongings are still intact along with the rest of the house. Police are called. There are no signs of foul play. Naturally Janes sister, main detective, and locals think the husband did it.
Twenty years later, Janes remains are found near a vacation rental the family had taken 20+ years ago. Alex always believed in his dad’s innocence, Jeff, never got a long with his Dad and blamed him. Miranda, she was heart broken and has been depressed the past 20 years.
Present day: Jeff and Miranda take Dan to civil court. The family unfolds from here.
A few POV and To my surprise, one of the voices heard from was Janes. I enjoyed hearing the POV from the person missing. It added depth and insight to the characters, the marriage, and the relationships within the family unit.
A page turner. Different emotions tugged at my heart and head.
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an ARC read that will stay with me for awhile!

As a ten year old child, Miranda came home to an empty house. While he mother normally met her after school, she never came home and the mystery of her disappearance went on for 18 years. While people suspected her father of the crime, there was never enough evidence. Now 18 years later, her mothers body has been found and Miranda and her two brothers, Alex and Jeff, need to decide what to do about it. Do they really believe their father is innocent?

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the aspect of the story being told by an author and friend of Jeff’s from childhood. It definitely made me question some of what was happening, was that really what happened? Or was that just what Phil had believed happened and how he was telling the story? I also loved that though she was dead, Jane’s pov was also included. That certainly added something extra to the story, and gave it the added cringe factor. I will say I knew how the story was going to end from about 25% of the way through, but that did not take away from the reading experience. Overall I would call this one a mysterious family drama over a thriller. it was a bit more character driven than I normally go for, but I still really appreciated the reading experience.

I LOVED the way this book was written, with the 4 separate books/POVs, but still following chronologically. I was hooked from the beginning when Miranda gets home from school and doesn’t see her mom. Slowly, piece by piece, we find out what happened. The ending was OMG! I did not expect that. This was a slow burn legal/crime thriller that kept me interested and guessing up until the very end. Book 2 was my favorite point of view. I highly recommend giving this book a read. It’s out now!!

I have been anxious to read another book by this author and this one did not disappoint. It tells the story of a long ago mystery of a missing mom and the struggle to find answers. I liked how the author began this story, sharing his struggles with writers block and how he came upon writing this story after years of thinking about it. This is a slow burning mystery with strong characters and great writing. I enjoyed it.

I know I should give a more in-depth review of this one. Honestly though- I really love going into books not knowing much about the story- but knowing people loved it. I LOVED this one! This author is genius at making you change your opinion of someone 12 times. The whole time I wondered, did he? Could he really have? No way. Wait, did he? Ahhhh, my favorite type of thriller - make me doubt my initial reactions over and over again. This book was all that I hoped after loving Defending Jacob. It reminded me of the Netflix series and documentary The Staircase. If you watched either and enjoyed - you will devour this one.

Any doubt about whether I recommend? Without hesitation I recommend you pick this one up immediately. I am super picky about giving 5 stars to Thrillers but this one earned every half star! Thank you NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine for the arc to read and review.

Jane Larkin disappeared one day, never to return. But no one knows if she is dead or just missing. Her husband is the biggest suspect, but is never indicted. Then years later, her body is found, and her husband is still not indicted. The family is torn apart and no one ever knows what really happened to Jane. Told from multiple viewpoints, this book is clever and engrossing. You will think you have it all figured out, and then you don't. Dan Larkin is a character you love to hate, but then he grows old and has dementia and you begin to sympathize with him, but keep your guard up with this book! Kudos William Lindlay!

This book is written by the same author who wrote "Defending Jacob," so I knew I would enjoy it. It starts with young Miranda Larkin coming home from school to an empty house. Her mom Jane has disappeared. There are no clues to her disappearance, no evidence, and no witnesses, although police and detectives suspect Dan, Jane's husband. Years go by with no leads. The family is torn apart, not knowing what to believe. Decades go by and Jane's remains are discovered, which only bring up more questions. How the three adult children deal with speculation around their dad, as well as the loss of their mom at a young age, poses emotional issues for two of them. I really enjoyed this book and loved that it takes place in my home state of Massachusetts. Thank you to Random House for the opportunity to read this in advance.

4.5 stars

This was an excellent read! I really enjoyed it! It's a slow burn kind of story, but it didn't take long at all to grab my attention and keep me turning pages until the end.

All That Is Mine I Carry With Me by William Landay is a family drama with some elements of mystery. It's about a woman that goes missing in 1975 and how that affects her family...from the husband who is suspected of killing her to her children who grow up without a mother and always suspicious of their father. It is a thoughtful and interesting story, but it's not a thriller as there is not really any action or suspense.

My favorite thing about this book is the way it is structured. The book is split into four separate books each with a different narrator. I really loved the way each narrator came in and added a new layer to the story. The way that the four parts fit together was just brilliant and expertly written!

I also liked the ending. I can see how not every reader will love it, but I thought it was a great way to end the story. I can't go into any more details without giving things away, so you will just have to read it for yourself.

Highly recommend this one!! It feels like a story that is going to stick with me for a very long time, and that's always a sign of a great book!!

What happened to Jane Larkin? People don’t just vanish into thin air. Did her criminal defense attorney husband have a hand in it? A stranger? Did Jane have secrets? Her three children are left with memories while being raised by their father, who is under a cloud of superstition.
20 years later, her remains are found. The investigation heats up, and Janes now grown children are old enough to choose sides.
Wonderfully written!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-ARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I was really excided to read another book by this author as I loved Defending Jacob!

This story revolves around Jane Larkin's disappearance, and the story of what happened to her. All signs point to her husband, Dan; however, being a criminal defense attorney, and no sign of her body, they have no evidence to convict him.

Fast forward 20 years, and her remains are found. Their father pleads with the 3 children, as he still claims he is innocent.

The story is written in many voices, and has a couple of twists.

If you enjoy a good suspenseful book, then this one is for you!