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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
Book of the Month for the win with this one and this was actually the first book I chose with my subscription, not counting Sleeping Beauties that I purchased to be included in my shipment.
I’m not sure why it took me so long to even read this one, because it was really a surprising novel. For some reason, it always fell to the back burner of my TBR list. I would tell myself I would read it next, then pick up a book from the library or download a new Kindle book. While perusing my shelf for something new, it jumped out at me and I figured it was about time I cracked its spine.
This was one of those novels that you want to know more, you have to read more, you can’t handle not knowing, but at the same time, you want to look away. It was awkward, cringe-worthy, haunting, suspenseful, and surprising all at the same time. I figured, the way it was set up in the beginning, that the ending was going to be a bit of a surprise and while I started to put the pieces of the puzzle together about halfway through and come up with my own conclusions, it did have a twist ending.
I don’t want to give away the story or any spoilers, but I did not expect the ending entirely. As Cass is giving her story to the police and her parents, there are definite holes. As she remembers and collects her thoughts, still only giving the reader parts of the story, the holes slowly become filled but not entirely. Cass is a young woman with many, many secrets and some of them she has no desire to tell, even to the police.
It fit the bill on a suspenseful read though. There were moments my head was searching for the answers and the only way to find them was to keep flipping the pages. I love books like that and hate them all at the same time because those are the ones that leave me zombie walking in the morning because I was up far too late. There are mixed reviews on this lovely with some readers feeling it fell flat and others up late reading. I fell in the latter category, for sure.
Cass and Emma’s mother was quite the character. Dr. Winter, a forensic psychiatrist, believes she suffers from narcissistic personality disorder and has focused on her from the very beginning of the investigation into the where the Tanner girls went. Judy, or Mrs. Martin to Cass, is the character you love to hate.
I think my favorite part of the whole book was the different perspectives telling almost the same story. I was never quite sure which character was telling the truth and which one I should invest in more. I wanted to believe Cass was telling the truth, but I could tell she was also holding a lot back, which is just as bad lying. I wasn’t quite sure what to believe of Dr. Winter, or Abby, either because with her own personal experiences with a mother suffering from narcissistic personality disorder, I felt her viewpoint couldn’t help but be skewed. So, I was constantly going back and forth on which perspective was providing me with the most of the story and an unbiased account of what happened.
Another favorite aspect, and I love when books do this, is the weaving of past and present. The story bounces back and forth, but does so seamlessly. Cass remembers something that happened and we are suddenly transported back to before Emma and Cass disappeared. Abby thinks about how Judy responds to a situation and she is brought back to her own childhood and dealing with a mother also suffering from personality disorder. At some points, it was a little slower for a psychological thriller than I would expect, but it didn’t stall. It kept a rather even pacing and the flashbacks and character insights allowed the story take form.
Thankfully, the truth is told at the end, but in a way that isn’t straightforward but rather allowed me to piece together parts of the story that I might have missed and parts that I had figured out into the grand scheme of things. It was a surprise ending with all the gaps filled in and questions answered accordingly.
I’m not sure why it took me so long to even read this one, because it was really a surprising novel. For some reason, it always fell to the back burner of my TBR list. I would tell myself I would read it next, then pick up a book from the library or download a new Kindle book. While perusing my shelf for something new, it jumped out at me and I figured it was about time I cracked its spine.
This was one of those novels that you want to know more, you have to read more, you can’t handle not knowing, but at the same time, you want to look away. It was awkward, cringe-worthy, haunting, suspenseful, and surprising all at the same time. I figured, the way it was set up in the beginning, that the ending was going to be a bit of a surprise and while I started to put the pieces of the puzzle together about halfway through and come up with my own conclusions, it did have a twist ending.
I don’t want to give away the story or any spoilers, but I did not expect the ending entirely. As Cass is giving her story to the police and her parents, there are definite holes. As she remembers and collects her thoughts, still only giving the reader parts of the story, the holes slowly become filled but not entirely. Cass is a young woman with many, many secrets and some of them she has no desire to tell, even to the police.
It fit the bill on a suspenseful read though. There were moments my head was searching for the answers and the only way to find them was to keep flipping the pages. I love books like that and hate them all at the same time because those are the ones that leave me zombie walking in the morning because I was up far too late. There are mixed reviews on this lovely with some readers feeling it fell flat and others up late reading. I fell in the latter category, for sure.
Cass and Emma’s mother was quite the character. Dr. Winter, a forensic psychiatrist, believes she suffers from narcissistic personality disorder and has focused on her from the very beginning of the investigation into the where the Tanner girls went. Judy, or Mrs. Martin to Cass, is the character you love to hate.
I think my favorite part of the whole book was the different perspectives telling almost the same story. I was never quite sure which character was telling the truth and which one I should invest in more. I wanted to believe Cass was telling the truth, but I could tell she was also holding a lot back, which is just as bad lying. I wasn’t quite sure what to believe of Dr. Winter, or Abby, either because with her own personal experiences with a mother suffering from narcissistic personality disorder, I felt her viewpoint couldn’t help but be skewed. So, I was constantly going back and forth on which perspective was providing me with the most of the story and an unbiased account of what happened.
Another favorite aspect, and I love when books do this, is the weaving of past and present. The story bounces back and forth, but does so seamlessly. Cass remembers something that happened and we are suddenly transported back to before Emma and Cass disappeared. Abby thinks about how Judy responds to a situation and she is brought back to her own childhood and dealing with a mother also suffering from personality disorder. At some points, it was a little slower for a psychological thriller than I would expect, but it didn’t stall. It kept a rather even pacing and the flashbacks and character insights allowed the story take form.
Thankfully, the truth is told at the end, but in a way that isn’t straightforward but rather allowed me to piece together parts of the story that I might have missed and parts that I had figured out into the grand scheme of things. It was a surprise ending with all the gaps filled in and questions answered accordingly.
This is why I am always careful about taking reviews to heart. I thought this book was a great read, I did not want to put it down and stayed up way later than I should have to finish it.
A pretty fast read but definitely not boring. Some of the story was a little confusing and hard to understand, but at the end of the story it was pretty good.
A good mystery, though a little long in the tooth. I enjoyed the shifting narrator perspectives, and the mystery was pretty gripping throughout. I did find that the narrators tended to get psychoanalytical for a long LONG time - too long, quite often. The story stalled a bit as the narrative/internal dialogues just dragged on. Other than that, an enjoyable read.
4.5 stars rounded up to 5! This is not a perfect mystery, but pretty damn close.
This is my second Wendy Walker book and I really enjoyed it. I liked all the characters, even the ones you shouldn’t like. I liked the psychological undertone of the whole novel to give you a deep understanding of each character’s motive. The ending became a little predictable but I didn’t mind it because I still couldn’t wait to find out how it ended.
I loved this book! I've always been a fan of suspense/psychological thrillers and this might be one of my favorites. This storyline is so well developed and the characters have so much depth. You can tell that Walker must have done her research for this one and it's so appreciated. I love when a story has so many details that even if you guess a part of the plot line, there are still some surprises!
Top 5 books of 2020 for me. I highly recommend!
Top 5 books of 2020 for me. I highly recommend!
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes