Day: September 10, 2020

I remember reading early books from this author. I am pleased to say that the plotting, character development, and overall feel of the books have improved over time.

This one starts with a brief flashback from someone’s perspective, but we have no idea which character it belongs to. That’s followed by a scene in the past at Zoe and Toby’s wedding – and then we’re off on an intelligent and twisty plot.

The author effectively moves back and forth between “then” and “now” chapters, which are roughly 10 years apart. Through Zoe’s eyes, we experience strange events in the present time as she plans her 10^th wedding anniversary party. These events may (or may not) have something to do with things that happened around her wedding.

I liked how the author tied the two together. It was interesting to try to figure out what past conversations and interactions had bearing on the present day. The author also did a good job of throwing in a few things that seemed to be inocuous, but only later were revealed to be pertinent.

I do think that there could have been a stronger tie with the behavior of the characters in current day. In hindsight, I would have liked a few more “clues” to have been dropped…things that would have either whetted my curiosity or made me think “Oh! So THAT’s what all of that meant.” I think it might have made the big reveal a little more impactful.

There was also one major plot point that wasn’t cleared up for me, and that had to do with Zoe’s memory. Given how the story turned out, I remain unsure as to whether or not others had a direct bearing on that over 10 years or if it was solely a defensive mechanism.

But I really enjoyed the book. I think this author keeps getting better and I look forward to the next one!

Author Bio:
Shalini lives by the sea in Dorset, England with her husband, two children and their cheeky terrier cross. Before kids, she was signed to Universal Music Publishing as a singer/songwriter, but now she spends her days writing psychological thrillers (in between school runs and sorting endless baskets of laundry).