Day: August 26, 2021

I’m left with mixed feelings about this book.

On the one hand, it was a well-written story about a dysfunctional family who (as it turns out) is even more dysfunctional than they thought. On the other hand, it dragged at the beginning, which made it difficult to buy into the urgency of parts of the plot.

First the good. I thought the author did a terrific job of laying out the background of the family. We definitely got to know Carla and her sister and mom. There was not a lot of love lost between all of them.

I also liked how the events necessitated Carla finding out all of the information first and then had to put it all together. I thought the way that she got to know the people of the area added to the mystery of the past that she uncovered.

Indeed, who wouldn’t want a crime like that to be solved?

I also thought that the crime itself was intriguing enough to keep me interested and that the chapters from a victim’s point of view interspersed added to the tension.

However, what was good (the background on the family and laying groundwork for Carla’s discovery) also almost derailed the book for me.

I felt like it took a long time for everything to really kick into gear. The beginning, while interesting, did seem to plod along in some places.

I am glad that I stuck with it, because it did pick up pace in the middle and that continued to the end.

I guess what I’m trying to say is give this one a chance, and stick with it, because it was ultimately an entertaining read.

Author Bio

Jennifer Harvey is a Scottish writer now living in Amsterdam.

Her short fiction has appeared in various publications in the US, Canada, and the UK and she has been shortlisted for the Bristol Prize, the Bridport Prize and placed third in the University of Sunderland Short Story Award. Her novels have been longlisted for the Bath Novel Award and her radio dramas have also won prizes and commendations from the BBC World Service.

Alongside writing, she is a Resident Reader for Carve Magazine, an editor for Carve Critiques, and serves as a member of the Editorial Board for Ellipsis Magazine. When not writing, she can be found sauntering along the Amsterdam canals, dreaming up new stories.