January 21, 2021

What could have been a “run-of-the-mill” crime investigation was made much more interesting by a few wise choices of the author.

First was the initial victim. While a child victim is nothing new (no spoiler, really), the manner and location of the crime was interesting and unique. It opened up a wide avenue of investigation with lots of minute details that wouldn’t be present in another setting.

Another effective decision was to cast multiple suspicions on multiple characters from the onset of the investigation. Aside from the sheer number of suspects provided by the location, there were mysterious phone calls, odd reactions, whispered suspicions, and flat out lies.

All of which, of course, made Jo’s job more difficult. But yay for making it engaging for the reader!

I still like Jo as a detective. I wasn’t sure how I felt about her personal life playing a factor – to me I didn’t feel like it was quite true. I don’t know whether that was because it was unrelatable to me (not usually a factor) or the whole idea that it had all happened only two weeks prior.

I think maybe the latter. I’m not sure someone would be cleared that quickly from that type of trauma, even without the added issue (again, no spoiler – if you’ve read the previous books, you know what I’m talking about).

In that regard, Jo’s reactions sort of fit, because it was all just beyond the realm of reality for me. At least, that’s what I’m going with.

And to be honest, that’s splitting hairs, because I am a fan of this series, and this may be my favorite entry so far.

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Not because I’m a fan of murder, but because there was a psych thriller vibe to it that I found enhanced the crime procedural plot. I thought the triumvirate of Karen, Gia, and Molly was fascinating – and totally accurate to volunteer moms at schools.

I’ve certainly dealt with enough of them to know!

The author also did a great job of hinting at possible motives and suspects without hitting the reader over the head (for example – the same two people are often tied together at crimes. Coincidence? Something more? I’m not telling).

I appreciate that because it makes it more entertaining. Kind of amounts to questioning the questioners and the questioned.

I’m probably not making sense, but this book does. It was a great read that I finished in one sitting, and I definitely recommend picking it up.

Oh, and one more thing. I’ve been obsessed with Kintsugi art for over a year, ever since reading about it in another book. I love the concept, and I totally got how the author used the moms’ talents (art, jewelry) and their mediums as a metaphor for their lives.

Now THAT is all I am saying.

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Twitter: m_m_chouinard

Author Bio:

M.M. Chouinard’s first fiction story was published in her local paper when she was eight, and she fell in love with Agatha Christie novels not long after. While pursuing a Ph.D in psychology and helping to found the first U.S. research university of the new millennium, the stories kept rattling around inside her skull, demanding to come out. For sanity’s sake, she released them. She’s currently at work on her next novel.

I had a very difficult time reading this book. Not because it was bad – not by any stretch of the imagination.

But because it hit me on two different levels.

Heidi loses her husband early on (that’s no spoiler, the opening page is literally his death notice). I felt this gut punch.

Not because I have lost my husband, but we have had to be in separate places for the past month (and still have another month to go).

Everything Heidi felt about wondering how to go about life alone, how to get things done without her partner, and trying to find the strength to just keep going – all of these things screamed out to me.

I could totally relate to her. Again, not because of a loss, but because once you find that other half of you, trying to continue without him becomes incredibly difficult. It’s interesting, because I was happy and independent before him, not unlike Heidi.

And it’s not that I have lost myself. It’s just that you don’t realize how much you share the burdens until that person isn’t there anymore.

On another level however, there was even more of a gut punch for me, because Johnny’s last message to Heidi revealed a secret that neither of them ever talked about.

I’m going to put SPOILER ALERT here, because I think it kind of is. But I have to explain why it was so emotional for me. So if you don’t want to know any of it, skip to below the photo of the blog tour.

SPOILER (kind of)

I’m adopted. I’ve often thought about my birth mother and father but have never taken the steps to find them. I know a little about them, so I could. But I haven’t.

Heidi and Johnny’s decisions were easy for me to project onto my own birth parents. It was a difficult yet enlightening perspective, because I haven’t often thought of what THEY thought about me.

I found myself wondering if I would react or feel like William.

This book made me really think about that. And it wasn’t easy to do so – it was uncomfortable. Because I don’t have an answer.

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Okay, back to the review.

Those two aspects made me much more invested in the book than the average reader might be, I think. Others may find it to be a simple story.

Regardless, it was well-written, and it really spoke to me. I would definitely recommend it.

Author Bio:
Amy Miller is the pseudonym of Amy Bratley, who started her writing life working on magazines and newspapers. She has previously written three women’s fiction novels published by Pan Macmillan, the first of which was a bestseller in Italy. Her day job is being a freelance managing editor of both a vintage interiors magazine and a food magazine, two subjects she’s passionate about. Amy lives in Dorset with her husband and two children.