I rated Rabbit Hole by Kate Brody 4/5 stars. Kate Brody takes the reader down a "Rabbit Hole" of messy family drama, with mysterious texts and Reddit threads, and characters that are full of flaws and unlikeable traits. The narrator is determined to find the "why" when her father dies by suicide 10 years after her sister has gone missing. The reader follows the protagonist as she meets or reunites with people from her father's and sister's pasts, digs into the world of Reddit, and struggles with her relationships and job. I thoroughly enjoyed the variety of characters, all with quirks and flaws that are relatable, but make the reader not quite sure whether you like them or not. These realistic characters have awkward interactions, flawed appearances, not-so-great histories, and sometimes they make poor decisions. The story was so interesting, and I did not want it to end. Unfortunately, the end was what brought my rating down, as it feels unresolved. It seems like the author has a great way of writing for this reader, but maybe she wasn't sure how to bring it to a close. Ultimately, I'll read other Kate Brody books, but I'll keep wondering about how this one really ends.

This was an interesting read. Ten years ago, Teddy’s sister, Angie, disappeared. She finds out that their father committed suicide on the anniversary of her disappearance and starts to seek out what made him do it. Teddy goes down the same rabbit hole of Angie’s unsolved case that their father did. She finds a subreddit (online community) that delves into all the details while also talking about their family which becomes just as triggering to her as it did her father.

Rabbit Hole is a dark and oppressive book that is more about what happens to the victims and their families rather than a mystery whodunit. It was too much of a slow burn and I really hated the majority of the decisions Teddy was making as she was self destructing. It was hard to read at times. But if you’re into true crime books, you will probably like this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Soho Press for this ARC. Rabbit Hole is out now.

Shouldn’t be marketed as a thriller. It was a slow burn and would have landed better if called a mystery/fiction. The characters were so much more examined than in typical thrillers

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me an advance reader copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Was really excited to read this one....but then found the pace to be a little slow for me. There were others that I read at about the same time & enjoyed more. But Rabbit Hole was still work reading & I will recommend to my readers.

Description
A page-turning debut mystery that’s as addictive as a late-night Reddit binge, about a grieving woman obsessed with solving her sister’s cold-case disappearance via the true crime fandom

Perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn, My Favorite Murder, and Fleabag

Ten years ago, Theodora “Teddy” Angstrom’s older sister, Angie, went missing. Her case remains unsolved. Now Teddy’s father, Mark, has killed himself. Unbeknownst to Mark’s family, he had been active in a Reddit community fixated on Angie, and Teddy can’t help but fall down the same rabbit hole.

Teddy’s investigation quickly gets her in hot water with her gun-nut boyfriend, her long-lost half brother, and her colleagues at the prestigious high school where she teaches English. Further complicating matters is Teddy’s growing obsession with Mickey, a charming amateur sleuth who is eerily keen on helping her solve the case.

Bewitched by Mickey, Teddy begins to lose her moral compass. As she struggles to reconcile new information with old memories, her erratic behavior reaches a fever pitch, but she won’t stop until she finds Angie—or destroys herself in the process.

Rabbit Hole is an outrageous and heart-wrenching character study of a mind twisted by grief, a biting critique of the internet’s voyeurism, and an intriguing exploration of the blurry lines of female friendship.

As an avid reader of true crime novels, I knew I had to get my hands on this one. In her debut novel, Brody does an excellent job keeping the reader engaged throughout the novel. I couldn’t put it down - highly recommend!!

I liked this a lot; very easy to sell to true-crime fans and mystery/thriller readers alike. Interesting plot and I didn't see the ending coming.

dark and harsh and brilliant. read those trigger warnings. i love the honesty and deep knowledge of true (!!!) crime and the internet present and grief and humanity here

Rabbit Hole follows the traditional thriller expectation of keeping you turning pages deep into the night, but also carries an emotional punch that took me by surprise.

In many ways, it’s equal parts one woman processing grief, taking the reader along for the journey of how it affects her mental health, along with the traditional “who done it” element of whether or not her missing sister is dead or alive and who was involved either way.

As I’ve mentioned in this space countless times, I’m extremely picky with any sort of mystery or thriller. Smart, propulsive, and heavy Rabbit Hole stands out as a high recommendation.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for honest feedback.

This one of those books where I felt stuck between giving it a 3 or 4 but decided on the later. Going into this book after reading the summary I expected something different then what we actually get. I was expecting the decent into madness our main character Teddy takes but the journey was not at all what I expected.

I flew through this book in 3 days and found the mystery of it all of what happened to Angie super interesting. I liked the idea behind the Reddit forums because of how interested and obsessive people become with true crime. It made the book feel so real.

I wasn’t a fan of the multiple sex scenes throughout the book and the couple incidents of animal death, especially the last one mentioned. I understand why they were added, more so the sex scenes, to show how Teddy wasn’t coping well with the grief of both losing her father and her sister. But still, there was so many. The animal scenes felt so unnecessary and I’m just not a fan of those.

The characters felt real, the story felt raw and I was left feeling emotionally heavy at the end. I think you have to go into this book with an open mind and remember that real life grief isn’t pretty. This was an emotionally heavy book that takes you through all the ugly parts grief has to offer.

This book was not like your average mystery/suspense novel. The story follows a family that is torn apart by the disappearance of the eldest daughter. The story picks up 1o years later when her father kills himself. Mother and daughter are left to pick up the pieces and continue to try and solve the disappearance. The story is told through reddit threads and narrative form. The writing is elevated, but at times the story got a bit off track for me. All in all it was a quick read, I would pick up a book by Brody again.

I've been really behind on reading since I moved in January but I'm finally back to reading again so I picked up an arc from January.

The book starts out with Theodora "Teddy" Angstrom learning that her father committed suicide on the 10-year anniversary of her sister Angie's disappearance. She's on the way to a vet appointment for her dog that has terminal cancer. There's even a childhood memory involving dead kittens. This is not an easy beginning for most readers but I continued on. If you’re expecting a typical thriller with twists, this isn’t it. It felt more like a character study on obsession and grief. There is mystery and some revelations but it’s definitely a slower burn. We spend the whole book in Teddy’s mind and it’s not an easy place to be. With her father gone, she realizes that he’s been investigating the sisters disappearance for the last 10 years. She goes down the same rabbit hole that he did and becomes obsessed with Reddit and following leads and meeting new people in her quest to know what happened to Angie. It was a pretty dark book and the ending didn’t feel satisfying. There’s also a dog death for anyone that’s triggered by that. I was a little torn how to rate this but I do think the writing is very strong and well written. It made me reflect on my childhood and what kind of memories we remember after someone dies. I’d be curious to check out the next book by this author.

Thank you to SoHo Press for an advanced copy. RABBIT HOLE is out now.

I saw this much-hyped on social media and it was a great, compelling read although not quite what I expected based on the description and reader reviews. The pacing was much slower than I expected, which ultimately worked really well, but I found Teddy very frustrating as a character and didn't find her very convincingly drawn but otherwise the writing is fantastic and the supporting characters worked really well.

This novel has a lot of things I love: beautiful writing, intriguing character development, and—a theme of my recent thriller-y reads—an exploration of the dark reality of true crime internet fandoms.

PLOT: Ten years ago, Teddy’s older sister Angie vanished. Dismissed by the police as a runway, Angie’s disappearance slowly destroyed their family. On the 10 year anniversary, Teddy’s father drives his car off a bridge, prompting Teddy to fall down the rabbit hole of his research into Angie’s disappearance, second-guessing everything she thought was true.

This is one of those books that a lot of people would call a thriller but I’m going to call literary fiction. I think if you go in looking for a super-twisty plot, you’re going to be disappointed, because this is more of a character study. The reader has a front row seat to Teddy’s grief, destructive copying strategies, and slow *expertly crafted* spiral into madness as she explores the people involved in her sister’s disappearance.

This book is a raw look at how people grieve. It made me sad and uncomfortable and sometimes even a little claustrophobic to be so stuck inside Teddy’s mind, but like… in the best way. It reminded me a lot of DARK PLACES, which if you know me, is a big compliment.

I am forever in search of smart, messy, thrilling, dark books a la Gillian Flynn and this definitely fit the bill. Read this if you liked DARK PLACES, THE GUEST, or NOTES ON AN EXECUTION.

I have a love/hate relationship with true crime, as I find a lot of it incredibly disrespectful of the victims. It tends to cross a line quite often and glorifies the predator while forgoing any honourable coverage of the people they hurt. How many serial killers can you name? How many of their victims?

I was intrigued by this as it delves into that very issue. Teddy explores a Subreddit page regarding her sister (Angie), seeing for herself the ways in which people discuss Angie and her family. Through this she developed a friendship that very much played with my head: is it instinct or paranoia?

While exploring the lore around her sister's disappearance and navigating the grief over her father’s recent death, she finds herself going down many rabbit holes determined to find answers. I was unsure about the ending at first, but it’s been a week since I finished it, and with that, I’ve come to appreciate it. If you haven’t yet, I think you should give it a try – it was a quick read, and I appreciated what Brody had to say.

A huge thank you to @netgalley and @sohopress for my copy!

After a strong start, this one fizzled for me. I loved Ms. Brody's writing style and her clear empathy for her characters. The way she entwined grief and obsession was truly masterful. However, the novel never really delivered on the central mystery.

On the ten year anniversary of her sister Angie's disappearance, Teddy Angstrom’s father commits suicide bringing back all the trauma and heartbreak it originally caused. She finds her father was involved with a Reddit community fixated on Angie, and Teddy can’t help but get caught up in it all. Teddy’s fixation leads her to Mickey, an amateur sleuth, with a resemblance to her sister and a connection to her own father and together she searches for answers. Teddy becomes consumed and acts in self destructive ways and it's easy to see how this loss has shaped her life.

I loved the premise and was excited to read the book. I found parts of it to be a bit confusing, especially towards the end. The pacing was a bit slow at times and felt like the book could have used a bit more editing. Overall, I enjoyed the story and writing.

Published by Soho Crime on January 2, 2024

The value of Rabbit Hole derives from its focus on the public’s obsessive interest in true crime (or possible crime), particularly when a pretty white girl goes missing. Speculative theories are presented as absolute fact by people who substitute their invented realities for objective truth.

Angie Angstrom disappeared shortly before she was to start classes at a community college. Angie’s half-sister, Theodora (Teddy) Angstrom, is two years younger than Angie. Teddy and Angie have the same mother, Clare Angstrom. Teddy's father is Mark Angstrom. Angie's father was Mark's brother. Clare married Mark after his brother died.

Angie attended a party on the evening of her disappearance. She told people she was getting a ride from her boyfriend. Whether Angie actually had a boyfriend and the possible boyfriend’s identity are part of the mystery. Teddy saw Angie when she briefly returned home after the party. Teddy is the last person known to have seen Angie, although she was slow to admit that fact to her parents and the police.

A subreddit is devoted to Angie’s disappearance, giving fools the opportunity to assign blame. That seems to be a favorite American pastime. Many people who comment on internet forums think Mark is creepy because he married his brother’s widow. Since they regard him as creepy, they assume he killed Angie or did something that drove her into hiding. Why anyone would think Mark’s choice of marital partners is a reason to judge him, much less evidence of murder, is a mystery equal to Angie’s disappearance.

As Rabbit Hole begins, Mark has just committed suicide by driving off a bridge on the tenth anniversary of Angie’s disappearance. He had a substance abuse problem that predated Angie’s fate.

Teddy’s father was conducting his own investigation into Angie’s disappearance. As Teddy goes through his papers, she finds some notes that apparently relate to investigative leads. One is the phone number of a landscaper who Angie thought was hot (so did Teddy, although she wouldn’t admit it to Angie). A text on Mark’s phone leads Teddy to her brother’s ex-wife. Blurry photographs might or might not prove that Angie is still alive. Examining Angie’s old social media accounts (who knew that MySpace still exists?) provides more clues but no definitive answers.

Mark was in touch with Mickey Greeley, a woman who, as an apparent hobby, investigated Angie’s disappearance. Whether Mickey resembles Angie at the age of her disappearance seems to be a matter of opinion. Maybe Mark hung out with Mickey because of that resemblance. Maybe Mark was sleeping with Mickey. Angie can’t be sure, although Angie and Mickey become attached in a clingy way that might have been similar to Mickey’s relationship with Mark.

The story is told in the third person from Teddy’s perspective. Teddy is a high school teacher. She has an empty apartment but she spends most of her time with her mother, with whom she has a strained relationship. Teddy has no boyfriend. A shrink told her that Angie’s disappearance has made her fear happy endings. She has taken herself off the dating apps again, although she knows she will return when she wants sex or a good restaurant meal.

Kate Brody does an impressive job of planting real and misleading clues to keep multiple mysteries in play throughout the novel. What happened to Angie? Which supporting characters are disguising their true stories? Did any of them play a role in Angie’s disappearance and, if so, why are they making themselves part of Teddy’s life?

Teddy is such a mess that she’s almost a sympathetic character, if only because she loves and is caring for Angie’s old and dying dog. She’s also maddening in ways that make it difficult to sustain sympathy. Teddy makes bad decisions. When she’s doxxed on Reddit, she buys a gun, starts carrying it with her, forgets she has it and brings it to school. The choices she makes about sex partners range from questionable to awful and become more dangerous (at least psychologically) as the novel nears its end.

I give high marks to the subreddit transcripts, which perfectly capture the idiocy of Reddit discussions. I also appreciated Teddy’s questions about her father when she begins to suspect he might have been a bad guy. Should she stop loving and missing him if her suspicions prove to be true? Does the part of him she loved just disappear if she learns that another part of him was creepy?

A good many readers are uncomfortable with ambiguous endings. They want all their questions answered. But like many “true crimes” that are discussed on blogs, internet forums, and bad television shows, the truth isn’t always knowable. The information Teddy acquires points to a plausible explanation of Angie’s disappearance, but definitive answers are elusive. The novel’s purpose is not to solve the mystery but to explore the impact of “true crime” speculation upon a family that has no answers. In some respects, that makes Rabbit Hole a more interesting novel than it might have been if the mystery had been neatly resolved, although I recognize that readers who demand certainty will be frustrated with the way the story ends.

RECOMMENDED

Rabbit Hole shows the dark path grief and obsession will lead you down. Brody writing is clear and haunting but it was missing a true mystery element and meandered in places.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.