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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Well written, page turner, fast paced, intriguing. I enjoyed it until the end where I suddenly found myself with mixed feelings. At first, I was disappointed that the ending didn't come to a more clear conclusion regarding Luna's personal life, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that the author stayed true to the characters and the ending makes the most sense. Waffled between four and five stars and realized I would have finished this in one sitting if time had allowed. So, five stars it is!
Lisa Lutz's books never disappoint! The Accomplice is a murder mystery, but more than that, it is a story about a friendship that has endured through misunderstandings, betrayals and life changes.
Luna and Owen are unlikely friends. Luna is prickly. She doesn't let people into her world, and thinks she has a good reason for doing so. There's a huge secret she's keeping about her past, and she's made a huge mistake before in trusting others. Owen is open, friendly, and uncomplicated. If anything, he shares his "love" a little too freely - he's not the most faithful romantic partner.
Luna and Owen meet in college and become close friends. Their sophomore year, a tragedy occurs - a young woman dies, and everyone thinks Owen had something to do with it. Even after the police rule it an accident, Owen can't stay at Markham College because of the intense hatred some students have of him.
Years later, Luna and Owen's wife, Irene, are having coffee together when Irene tells Luna that Owen is cheating on her. Luna and Irene are close, but both of them know her loyalty still lies with Owen. Luna confronts Owen, who doesn't deny it. But when Irene is found murdered, Luna starts to think that one dead woman could be bad luck but two might indicate some sort of responsibility...
This is a dark (very dark at times) story, but it also has humor, love and tenderness that make it a truly enjoyable book to read. There are a lot of twists in this story that keep you turning the pages. I loved inhabiting Luna and Owen's world and deciding what I would have done in certain situations.
Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.
Luna and Owen are unlikely friends. Luna is prickly. She doesn't let people into her world, and thinks she has a good reason for doing so. There's a huge secret she's keeping about her past, and she's made a huge mistake before in trusting others. Owen is open, friendly, and uncomplicated. If anything, he shares his "love" a little too freely - he's not the most faithful romantic partner.
Luna and Owen meet in college and become close friends. Their sophomore year, a tragedy occurs - a young woman dies, and everyone thinks Owen had something to do with it. Even after the police rule it an accident, Owen can't stay at Markham College because of the intense hatred some students have of him.
Years later, Luna and Owen's wife, Irene, are having coffee together when Irene tells Luna that Owen is cheating on her. Luna and Irene are close, but both of them know her loyalty still lies with Owen. Luna confronts Owen, who doesn't deny it. But when Irene is found murdered, Luna starts to think that one dead woman could be bad luck but two might indicate some sort of responsibility...
This is a dark (very dark at times) story, but it also has humor, love and tenderness that make it a truly enjoyable book to read. There are a lot of twists in this story that keep you turning the pages. I loved inhabiting Luna and Owen's world and deciding what I would have done in certain situations.
Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
This was a quirky book about two best friends, who have a lot of murders around them. the tone was light, humorous and even a bit heartwarming at times. It was told in two timelines, which sometimes got confusing as many of the people were the same and if I didn't pay attention to the date, it all blended together. It took me awhile to get into it but did eventually enjoy it
This review first appeared on: https://saschadarlington.me/2022/01/20/review-of-the-accomplice-by-lisa-lutz/#.YeyG-P7MJPY
In college, Owen and Luna become almost inseparable best friends despite what would seem to be obvious personality differences yet they are far closer in personality than would seem on the outside. They remain close platonic friends for years until Owen’s wife is murdered and Luna begins to wonder just how well she knows her best friend in Lisa Lutz’ standalone mystery, The Accomplice.
The Accomplice is a compelling read as it delves into several timelines, the one when Owen and Luna were in college and the current one in which Owen’s wife is murdered. Lisa Lutz is a talented storyteller, who is very good at drawing her reader in and making their curiosity grow with each turn of the page.
The most interesting character for me was Luna. An occurrence in her past defines her and follows her. She feels guilt and accepts her guilt as her cross to bear and lets it dominate her life and actions. She does not easily open herself to relationships with anyone and it is only Owen who seems to have accomplished that, initially. However, frankly, Owen comes across as a one-dimensional character and my feeling on that remains beyond the end of the final page. Maybe I missed something intrinsic to his character that would make him likable.
I loved the team of detectives who look into the murder of Owen’s wife. They are quirky and funny and just the type of detectives that I could see making excellent future protagonists, in a series. (hint, hint)
While I tremendously enjoyed this novel, despite knowing now that the title holds the key to everything, I was equally tremendously disappointed in the ending, which to me felt bleak as it almost declared that some people will never change despite everything/anything/something. I don’t think that reading of the ending was intended. I think it was more a celebration of friendship, or supposed to be.
Also if your trigger is alcohol, be warned. These people drink morning, noon, and night and every hour in between from college through adulthood. How are they even able to resemble functioning human beings? I dunno. More than once I felt sympathetic nausea for them.
All in all, a very good read.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
In college, Owen and Luna become almost inseparable best friends despite what would seem to be obvious personality differences yet they are far closer in personality than would seem on the outside. They remain close platonic friends for years until Owen’s wife is murdered and Luna begins to wonder just how well she knows her best friend in Lisa Lutz’ standalone mystery, The Accomplice.
The Accomplice is a compelling read as it delves into several timelines, the one when Owen and Luna were in college and the current one in which Owen’s wife is murdered. Lisa Lutz is a talented storyteller, who is very good at drawing her reader in and making their curiosity grow with each turn of the page.
The most interesting character for me was Luna. An occurrence in her past defines her and follows her. She feels guilt and accepts her guilt as her cross to bear and lets it dominate her life and actions. She does not easily open herself to relationships with anyone and it is only Owen who seems to have accomplished that, initially. However, frankly, Owen comes across as a one-dimensional character and my feeling on that remains beyond the end of the final page. Maybe I missed something intrinsic to his character that would make him likable.
I loved the team of detectives who look into the murder of Owen’s wife. They are quirky and funny and just the type of detectives that I could see making excellent future protagonists, in a series. (hint, hint)
While I tremendously enjoyed this novel, despite knowing now that the title holds the key to everything, I was equally tremendously disappointed in the ending, which to me felt bleak as it almost declared that some people will never change despite everything/anything/something. I don’t think that reading of the ending was intended. I think it was more a celebration of friendship, or supposed to be.
Also if your trigger is alcohol, be warned. These people drink morning, noon, and night and every hour in between from college through adulthood. How are they even able to resemble functioning human beings? I dunno. More than once I felt sympathetic nausea for them.
All in all, a very good read.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is like 2 suspense stories in one. It goes between the past and present day of Owen and Luna, but each chapter tells you when it's taking place. Each timeline has its own murder that Owen and Luna are wrapped up in. All the details of both come out at the end during the present day. Each chapter left me wanting more, I had to know what was going on, and had to read 2 chapters to get back to it since it skipped every other for each time. Because of how much was going on, it took a bit to get back into it after I put it down. Remembering what details happened when and not getting them mixed took me recapping each time I picked the book up before jumping back in. There is just so much going on during both parts in time. It was overall a good book.
mysterious