The Birthday Reunion by Claire Seeber is a psych thriller that is mostly good but ends up collapsing under So. Much. Going. On.
The premise is great – three long-time friends receive invitations for what they think is a birthday reunion of the fourth friend. Mysteries abound. Nothing is as it seems.
Are the people really who they say they are? Who is hiding what? How many secrets can the author cram into a short getaway?
The author attempts to answer all of these questions, sometimes successfully – but sometimes creating more questions in the process.
Overall, I felt a lack of focus in the book. It started straightforward enough, and there was plenty of material that could have gone along with a simple getaway turned…odd.
But the author veers into past traumas, old relationships, convoluted connections, and other gimmicks meant to cause mystery and fear (among the characters). It really just created confusion for the reader.
For example, when the three friends first arrive for the “reunion,” there is a delay in getting to their destination. The groundwork that goes into creating their initial overnight stay is essentially a waste. It could have been built out much more satisfactorily.
The same could be said for the actual “reunion.” Instead of focusing on the friends, the author throws a bunch more characters in. Again, I suppose it is to create mystery and distrust, but it muddies the waters. And there were more than a few consistencies.
By the time the event from the prologue actually occurs, it is almost an afterthought. Frankly, so is the resolution. I felt like it was “blink and you’ll miss it. In fact, I had to read the last few chapters twice to figure out who actually was responsible for all of it.
In spite of all of this, I still liked The Birthday Reunion. It certainly kept me guessing. I’ll look for the next psych thriller from Claire Seeber.
