March 22, 2021

Part mystery, part suspense, part psychological thriller, part Gothic Agatha Christie and all crazy, this was one page-turner of a book.

The haunting atmosphere was set in the prologue and the author did a great job of maintaining it throughout the entire twisty plot.

I don’t want to give anything away, so I think I’ll refer to the notes that I made as I read.

I liked how the author emphasized Claire’s artist background in the narration, specifically giving names to the colors that she was seeing. It was done with an artist’s eye which was impactful and helped me get a better feeling for Claire.

I do wish they had continued, but as the plot became more complicated, Claire’s descriptions became less embellished. I guess that does make sense for her character – she no longer had the time or inclination to notice the details.

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I also liked how the author set the tone for how the Compton family dealt with things. The repeating of statements, mantras to remind themselves, etc. were all consistent and added to the mystery surrounding the family.

I did think that the family business got short shrift. I wish there had been a bit more detail about it, as it certainly was a unique prospect – and not all that unbelievable given the current state of affairs worldwide.

But as it was it served more as a mechanic to illustrate the family’s wealth and need for privacy without elaborating and giving it a lot of depth. I think this is why another aspect didn’t completely come together for me.

I don’t know how to address that without giving anything away, but the motivations of a main character seem to spring from what the family can offer, but that was never made crystal clear to me.

Or maybe the character was just supposed to be a total sociopath and none of that matters.

I guessed early on what was really going on so there was no mystery there for me at all. Other readers may not make the connections. The author did have me second guessing a few times, and I have notes speculating that other characters were to blame (when they had nothing to do with the incidents in question).

The plot also took an Agatha Christie-like turn, where multiple people were under suspicion but just as quickly were proven to not be responsible (for various reasons).

That last third of the book was pretty gonzo. There was a lot of build-up, but then things really started happening quickly. In some ways it felt almost too frantic because it was all rapid-fire events and revelations.

There are times when I will skim parts of a book to get through because of repetition or just not holding my interest. This is NOT one of those books. I read every single part – it definitely kept me engaged.

I would certainly recommend this one. It’s an excellent brain break from reality and you’ll enjoy trying to figure out who is reliable and who isn’t.

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About the Author:

J.T. Ellison is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 25 novels, and the EMMY® award winning co-host of the literary TV show A WORD ON WORDS. With millions of books in print, her work has won critical acclaim, prestigious awards, and has been published in 28 countries. Ellison lives in Nashville with her husband and twin kittens.

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