I have mixed feelings after reading this book.  The various points of view used throughout the novel got confusing at times.  The storyline- what was real, what was imagined- added to the confusion. The ending... no spoilers... I simply didn't get it- and felt like it had no true ending.

I enjoyed this book in part because there were two mysteries to figure out. One took place years ago: Dustin, who is now a married psychologist with two teenage sons, was just a kid when his parents and aunt and uncle were murdered. His adopted brother, Rusty, was convicted. One of his cousins—a twin named Wave—found the bodies. Her sister, Kate was there, too.

Rusty was a messed-up kid then, and Kate and Wave, who were much closer to Rusty’s age than Dustin’s, were pretty reckless, too. When Dustin learns that Rusty has been exonerated and is out of prison, he doesn’t want to tell his wife, who is dying of cancer. If Rusty didn’t kill his parents, who did?

At the same time all of this is going on, Dustin has a patient who is a former cop obsessed with all the drowning deaths of college-age boys in the area. In every case, the drownings are ruled accidental—the boys were all drinking heavily, so their deaths are all blamed on them falling into these various bodies of water. But the cop, Aqil, has a different theory, and he gets Dustin involved.

The narrative bounces around from past to present, from one character’s point of view to another. There is a lot of stuff about satanic ritual and lost and recovered memory. Dustin himself doesn’t trust his memory of the past, and he seems to go into fugue states now that he is an adult, which all makes for an intriguing and suspenseful read.

I read- and really liked- Dan Chaon’s novel, Await Your Reply so I was excited to get my hands on his latest which promises to be an equally compelling page turner. It’s called Ill Will, which I think is a catchy title for a suspenseful novel.

Here is the synopsis:

A psychologist in suburban Cleveland, Dustin is drifting through his forties when he hears the news: His adopted brother, Rusty, is being released from prison. Thirty years ago, Rusty received a life sentence for the massacre of Dustin’s parents, aunt, and uncle. The trial came to symbolize the 1980s hysteria over Satanic cults; despite the lack of physical evidence, the jury believed the outlandish accusations Dustin and his cousin made against Rusty. Now, after DNA analysis has overturned the conviction, Dustin braces for a reckoning.

Meanwhile, one of Dustin’s patients gets him deeply engaged in a string of drowning deaths involving drunk college boys. At first Dustin dismisses talk of a serial killer as paranoid thinking, but as he gets wrapped up in their amateur investigation, Dustin starts to believe that there’s more to the deaths than coincidence. Soon he becomes obsessed, crossing all professional boundaries—and putting his own family in harm’s way.

This book sounds like something I want to crawl up with and read over a long rainy weekend!

Wow! A surprise even though I read the book description before reading... an amazingly complex and breathtaking read! I will be getting more of this authors work!!!

I'm not sure why I accepted this book. It's not what I normally read. Too much language, too many F bombs for me.

This book was so different than what I was expecting. Given the premise I probably should've known better. 

Rusty has just been exonerated (through DNA) from prison after having served 30 years for allegedly murdering his adopted parents. He had already been tried and convicted in the court of public opinion, mostly based on the accusations from his adopted brother and cousin. 

If you remember, back in the 80s the media sensationalized and overly dramatized accusations of satanism, rituals and cult-like crimes. Using this as a foundation for a novel could've been spectacular if not for the dark, dreadful feeling that encompasses this novel.

Of course, that's what Dan Chaon was deliberately going for, so it was a successful feat for him. My personal philosophy is not to leave so much ambiguity and so many questions for readers because we tend to get frustrated by it. Many times, this causes a disconnect between the author's genius versus the expectation of the reader.

A thriller built around Satanic Ritual Abuse, drowning bros, and an aloof psychologist (with a staggeringly traumatic past) and his dysfunctional family, Ill Will created a consistent and deep sense of anxiety in me while I read but I couldn't put it down. If that is not the mark of a successful thriller I do not know what is. Shifting perspectives throughout, Chaon's prose is at its sharpest when dealing with his most morally dubious characters. Dennis, the psychologist and for all intents and purposes the main character, is expertly crafted as dreamy with Chaon often letting his thoughts peter out midstream (a technique that might grate on some readers). His drug addicted son Aaron and adopted brother Rusty are equally compelling. The novel loses focus on some of the chapters devoted to more fringe characters that don't seem to coalesce with the larger narrative, but thankfully the missteps are simply a minor blemish to an entirely captivating read.

Ok, this is a difficult one for me. 

I can see where this book would definitely be really good to some, just not me. I couldn't connect with any of the characters and the plot was odd and clunky for me. I stuck with it till the end, but ultimately got no satisfaction from it. 
I love dark reads and I don't mind ambiguity, but this one just felt...meh? Maybe? It just wasn't a good fit for me.

I enjoyed this psychological thriller that follows two mysteries: a quadruple homocide in the past and a drowning in the present.  Fans of Chaon's earlier work will find the tone and storytelling familiar.  Quick pacing and good build up of tension.  I was a left a little unsatisfied by the ending, which lowered my overall opinion slightly.  A solid stand-alone read for readers of the mystery/thriller genre.

The premise of the story was interesting. However, it was all over the place timewise. It was a cacophony of flashbacks and pov changes which made it very tedious to read.