Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Published: March 30, 2021
Source: Publisher
Summary:
A razor-sharp novel of suspense about the lies families tell—and those we choose to believe—by the Amazon Charts bestselling author of Jane Doe.
Lauren Abrams wants nothing to do with her damaged mother, whose spurious testimony sent Lauren’s father to prison for murder years ago. After a serial killer’s confession to the crime restored justice, Lauren chose to live with her father and grandmother. Now an adult, Lauren has come home to the Sacramento family estate for good, her mother’s lies be damned…
It’s been decades since Donna made her cheating husband pay, but she hasn’t forgotten the past. She knows her estranged daughter has made a terrible mistake by returning to the estate. There’s more to the story of the welcoming old homestead—and her childhood—than Lauren knows.
As Lauren settles in, she is haunted by the questions of what really happened with her father, what her mother might be hiding, and what secrets the family ranch holds. It’s getting so dark, Lauren may not be able to see the truth to save her life.
My thoughts:
I am a big fan of Victoria Helen Stone’s books, absolutely loving her Jane Doe series. So of course, I had to request this latest one from her and while it was not quite the same thrilling read as those other books, it was still an enjoyable read.
This newer book is more of a slow-burn, so if you are expecting a fast-paced thriller, you are going to be disappointed. This book is definitely more like her other stand-alone, False Step, which I did enjoy but found to be of a different caliber than her Jane Doe books.
This one alternates between two points of view and two time lines, and I found myself equally invested in both because I couldn’t figure out just where things were headed. Now that’s not to say I was particularly in love with either character – I didn’t necessarily find them to be the most likable of characters, but I found that I just couldn’t walk away from them either because I really needed to know how everything was going to turn out. (And incidentally, that’s exactly how I felt with False Step, too!)
I did appreciate the fact that while this book did have some parts that were a bit predictable, there were a few times that definitely caught me off-guard. So, all-in-all, this is a great mindless escape read that kept me entertained.
