Member Review

This was not my usual read but I liked it a lot! The story is smart and twisty with engaging characters and an intriguing mystery. As you might expect there's quite a bit of tension here, between the murder mystery and the academic politics, all of which definitely held my interest. There are lots of quirky and interesting details to pay attention to, with a lot of layered sub-plots, so slow down your reading for peak enjoyment. Daphne has a wry voice and outlook that I really enjoyed. Her sincere love of teaching and passion for her subject matter was endearing. Her frustration regarding how her age and ethnicity shaped other's views of her was clear and compelling, and should be relatable to a lot of readers. There is a large cast of vivid and unique supporting characters, although to me Rowan's character felt a little underdeveloped considering his role in Daphne's narrative. As mentioned above there are a lot of moving parts in this story, my only complaint is maybe there's a bit too much going on here. This made it a little harder for me to stay focused on all the facets of the murder mystery, and it extended the story past what could have been assumed to be several natural stopping points. And while it wasn't a concise book it was still very engaging and ultimately wrapped up the plot points in a satisfying way. A content note: given the variety of dark plot points in this book, if you're sensitive to certain content besides the obvious murder plot then it's probably a good idea to risk spoilers and carefully review any content warnings. And on a lighter aside, there's just way too many mention of the town squirrels in this book to be a coincidence! It's either an inside Ivy League town joke that I don't get, or the author has a squirrel fixation lol.

This book felt like maybe it's being set up as a series, one I'd happily continue reading. This is a new-to-me author with a great voice and a sharply intelligent writing style, and I would definitely read her again! 4.5 stars. Publishes July 1, 2025. This review was based on a complimentary eARC of the book, all opinions are my own.