Reviews with content warning for Domestic abuse - The Shadow Box

Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

The Shadow Box by Luanne Rice

6 reviews

astoriareader's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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

5.0

SYNOPSIS

Claire, an artist that makes shadow boxes, is attacked & left for dead at her house in a wealthy neighborhood in Connecticut. She isn’t sure who to trust. Her husband is her prime suspect. He is a prosecutor in the midst of trying to be elected governor.
On the same day, Claire’s friend is murdered, and the teams investigating start to think the two incidents may be connected.

MY THOUGHTS

This is my first novel by Luanne Rice, and I will absolutely be looking for more of her work.
Fast paced. I devoured this one, and I finished in 24 hours. It starts off with an amazing opening, and thankfully, it remains strong through the last page.
Expertly plotted. Characters & story line felt very realistic.
Love a female protagonist.
Writing was easy to read. Short chapters. Rice does a great job setting the scene, and it was easy to visualize everything that happens.
Alternating POVs. We hear from Claire, as well as two brothers, Tom & Conor. Tom is a Coast Guard working on the friend’s murder, and Conor is part of LEO team investigating Claire’s incident.
Alternating timelines. Chapters are labeled as being either before or after Claire’s attack.
Rice did a nice job presenting living with an emotionally abusive partner. The flashbacks were nicely sprinkled throughout the story, and you can see how insidious abuse can be.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️a must read. finished in a day. female protagonist. multiple POVs. set in wealthy part of Connecticut. TW: abusive relationships.

Content Warnings