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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Accomplice is the story of Luna and Owen, two friends since they started college. They are resolutely friends, not lovers, and have always been. Both of them are married to other people but remain close confidantes. Their relationship is strained, though, when Owen’s wife is murdered. You see, this is not the first time a woman who loved Owen has died in suspicious circumstances. A young woman who was obsessed with Owen died while they were in college and Owen was the primary, the only, suspect. But there was no evidence and Luna was certain he was innocent. Owen wouldn’t kill anyone.
The story is told in alternating timelines, so you follow the development of their friendship in college, including their difficulties after Scarlet, the young woman obsessed with Owen died. The current story begins the day before Owen’s wife is murdered when she confides in Luna that Owen is cheating. The next day, Luna is supposed to meet up with her to jog and she finds her body. The police, during the investigation, discover Owen was a suspect in the past and the investigation quickly hones in on him. And now Luna is wondering, not just about his wife, but about the past.I enjoyed
The Accomplice, but then I have enjoyed every one of Lisa Lutz’ books. Lutz is a talented writer who knows how to tighten the tension nearly to the breaking point. She also understands how good we are at scaring ourselves. However, while technically complying with the “Rules of Detective Fiction“, I am not convinced this is a “fair” solution. I am also someone who really dislikes complications that could have been avoided with one honest conversation. So while the book was well-written, tense, and kept me reading past bedtime, I was disappointed in the resolution which felt in one case, unfair, and in the other, unnecessary. In other words, I liked everything but the ending
- I received an e-galley of The Accomplice from the publisher through NetGalley.
- The Accomplice at Ballantine Books | Penguin Random House
- Lisa Lutz author site
- The Swallows also by Lisa Lutz
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2022/02/12/9781984818263/
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Book Review: The Accomplice by Lisa Lutz
The Accomplice is an adult contemporary mystery novel about a pair of best friends and the secrets that surround them. When one of their spouses ends up murdered they will look back on seventeen years of shared history to figure out why.
Luna and Owen met in college and were instant friends. Luna was hiding from a dark secret in her childhood that could ruin her new life in college and Owen was instantly intrigued by her unapproachable demeanor. When Owen finds himself under the microscope for murder (not once but twice) their bond will be tested and the secrets that surround them and the people they love will come to light.
The Accomplice is well paced and has a lot of intriguing storylines without feeling over the top or bogged down. Luna and Owen are neither unlikable nor likable but feel like normal authentic characters who aren’t always perfect or make the best choices. There are bits of humor that balance out the story and keep it from being too dark or sad.
I recommend The Accomplice to readers that enjoy mysteries that also examine our complicated human relationships.
4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
✨ The Title/Cover Draw:
I had previously read The Swallows by this author and really enjoyed the journey of the mystery. Thank you to @netgalley and Ballantine Books for allowing me to read this ahead of publication.
I had previously read The Swallows by this author and really enjoyed the journey of the mystery. Thank you to @netgalley and Ballantine Books for allowing me to read this ahead of publication.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Lots of good twists and turns! Definitely keeps you turning the pages. Sometimes the cast of characters was a little too broad / hard to keep track of.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Abortion
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.25 stars. It's SO hard to make any story on the level of the Swallows so i can't say I was expecting another book on that level, but this feels much more like your typical domestic thriller than I was hoping. However, I think the distinction lies in the characters falling far outside the usual tropes of the genre. Purely platonic friendship is at the center of this BOGO murder mystery and there is a major focus on these two people's character studies above any of the events in the story. As a result, I found the reveal very underwhelming and the timeline hops generally less appealing than I had hoped.
These are flawed protagonists and often the lack of mass appeal in a character will make me enjoy following them more. Not so in this case. I think their personalities and behavior throughout the story will turn off most of the general readers that pick this up. They're not likable people and they're not particularly "unlikable" in a fun, fascinating way.
They are far more focused on each other than anything else and that itself is also strange to me because they don't act the way best friends of any gender do. They didn't have inside jokes or particularly fun memories together... they just... slept in the same bed a lot, would allow each other in their rooms when no one else was welcome, and looked out for each other. Sometimes I had to wonder why these two had as many friends as they did because they weren't BAD people, but they just... didn't seem that interesting. :/
These are flawed protagonists and often the lack of mass appeal in a character will make me enjoy following them more. Not so in this case. I think their personalities and behavior throughout the story will turn off most of the general readers that pick this up. They're not likable people and they're not particularly "unlikable" in a fun, fascinating way.
They are far more focused on each other than anything else and that itself is also strange to me because they don't act the way best friends of any gender do. They didn't have inside jokes or particularly fun memories together... they just... slept in the same bed a lot, would allow each other in their rooms when no one else was welcome, and looked out for each other. Sometimes I had to wonder why these two had as many friends as they did because they weren't BAD people, but they just... didn't seem that interesting. :/