Wow. Just…wow.
This is one of the most tightly crafted plots I have ever read. It read like a mash-up of Ten Little Indians and The Mousetrap, and just about everything about this story brought to mind the great Agatha Christie.
I liked how the characters’ relationships were clear but, at the same time, not entirely truthful. Every single one of the childhood/teenage friends was hiding something from the others, and it took the tragedy at the center of the book for everything to come out into the open. The addition of Jemma, Chandra, and Nina, relative newcomers to the group, add an insightful perspective.
The setting is also a big part of why the story works. I mean, where else could a mystery take place but in an imposing mansion on the cliffs by the ocean. It is a favorite location of many mystery writers because of the versatility it offers. But nothing in this book seems like a retread, or “same ol’ setting.” The claustrophobia experienced by some of the characters is palpable and pours off the pages.
I pride myself on often being able to solve mysteries and figure out clues ahead of an investigation in a book. My notes in books are filled with my thoughts and ideas, and I enjoy seeing if I was right. I am thrilled to say that I had virtually no notes until about ¾ of the way through; that’s how off-balance the author kept me.
The way the information was revealed was also smart. Sometimes it was through the police investigation, sometimes through conversations between characters, often from Jemma’s point of view as an outsider. These change-ups allowed readers to be privy to information only when the author was ready for them to be – another way to keep them guessing. Loved it!
I did have a few fleeting thoughts that turned out to be accurate, but it took me most of the book (89%) to figure it all out. At that point, I kind of felt like some of the air went out of the investigation. It seemed as if there were maybe a few loose ends (as in “we’ll never know for sure”), but I think that it ultimately works because so much of the plot is nebulous that some questions being left unanswered fits the story.
This was a page-turner in the most accurate definition of the term, and it is absolutely one that you should grab right away. It will definitely take your mind off of real-life for a while.
About Rachel Abbott
Rachel Abbott’s debut thriller, Only the Innocent, was an international bestseller, reaching the number one position in the Amazon charts both in the UK and US. This was followed by the number one bestselling novels The Back Road, Sleep Tight and Stranger Child,Nowhere Child (a short novel based on the characters from Stranger Child), Kill Me Again, and her latest thriller, launched in 2017 – The Sixth Window.
Rachel’s novels have now been translated into over 20 languages.
In 2015 Amazon celebrated the first five years of the Kindle in the UK, and announced that Rachel was the number one bestselling independent author over the five-year period. She was also placed fourteenth in the chart of all authors. Stranger Child was the most borrowed novel for the Kindle in the first half of 2015.
Rachel now lives in Alderney – a beautiful island off the coast of France – and spends a few months of each year in the Le Marche regions of Italy, where she devotes her time to her love of writing fiction. For more information, see Rachel’s website, or follow her on Twitter.
