The Arrangement by Miranda Rijks – Blog Tour (Review)

As I started this book, I expected it to go in one direction, but it was actually a character study of a different kind. It was definitely a page-turner.

When Grace learns that her daughter, Abi, was killed in another country, her entire life spirals out of control. But as she pushes to find out what really happened to Abi, strange things start to happen. Is Grace self-destructing or is there something more sinister in play?  

I liked how the initial crime was in a different country from the rest of the story. It added to the frustration that Grace felt that she couldn’t find answers. I don’t think the tension would have worked as well if it had been run of the mill “happened at home.” The lack of answers would have seemed like shoddy police work. But the lack of answers is vital to the rest of the plot.

I thought the author did a great job with Grace’s character. Severe trauma can trigger the worst parts of a person as old habits die hard. As Grace spirals, she becomes more unreliable – both as a person (errors on the job) and as a narrator. This was the strongest part of the book.

As Grace asks more questions, she finds out that her daughter was hiding some pretty dark secrets. I thought that some of them were good plot twists, but others were a little bit too much “red herring.” It’s hard to describe – more like they were used as a mechanism to get to the next scene, but didn’t have any bearing on the rest of the story and were forgotten.

I also wish that the author had dropped some more hints leading to the finale. It sort of came out of nowhere, and there wasn’t a moment of “oh I should have seen that coming.” You know what I mean, right? Where you get to the “big reveal” and all of a sudden, certain events all of a sudden make much more sense? This one just didn’t have enough impact.

That being said, I didn’t figure it out until about three-quarters of the way through, so the author did do a good job of keeping me guessing. The gaslighting was effective.

If you’re looking for a good thriller that will keep you in the dark, pick this one up. It’s worth it for the portrait of Grace’s grief.

About Miranda Rijks:

Miranda Rijks is a writer of psychological thrillers and suspense novels. She has an eclectic background ranging from law to running a garden centre. She’s been writing all of her life and has a Masters in writing. A couple of years ago she decided to ditch the business plans and press releases and now she’s living the dream, writing suspense novels full time. She lives in Sussex, England with her Dutch husband, musician daughter and black Labrador.

Miranda is the author of Roses Are Red and I Want You Gone. THE ARRANGEMENT will be her eighth novel published with Inkubator Books.