Reviews

A Double Life by Flynn Berry

pam2375's review against another edition

4.0

This was a really good mystery/thriller. It does not take long for you to get to the meat of the story and it is a very quick and intense read!

My thanks to netgalley and Penguin Group/Viking for this advanced readers copy.

liz_kill's review against another edition

dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

I wouldn’t classify this as primarily a mystery or thriller. It has elements of those in that it is about a murder, the story of the murder is unraveled for the reader slowly and there is tension about what has happened/what will happen. But, more so it is a novel about the impact of a murder on the survivors

jdelloso's review

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

novelvisits's review against another edition

2.0

My Thoughts: Thirty-four year old Claire is haunted by a horrific murder that happened when she was only eight. Her father attempted to kill her mother and in doing so Claire’s nanny, Emma, instead lost her life. After the attack, her father simply vanished, leaving Claire in a constant state of fear. Despite many years passing, Claire was always on the lookout for men who might be her father. So, when a detective shows up at her door notifying Claire of yet another possible sighting, Claire decides she’s had enough, beginning her own search for the truth.

A Double Life alternated between Claire’s parent’s pasts, what had happened since the murder, and Claire’s hunt for her father. I liked that Claire had never strayed far from wanting to find the father who terrified her. All her life she kept tabs on his friends, hoping to find the truth of where he was. I found the strategy she finally found success with a little difficult to buy into, as is often the case for me in suspense novels. The resolution of Claire’s story had similar flaws and the ending was just a bit too neat and tidy. Though A Double Life was definitely a fun summer book, in the end its melodrama left me feeling a little less than satisfied. Grade: C

Narrator: I found the tone and pace of Fiona Hardingham’s reading to be very pleasant to listen to. However, I did think her voice sounded young for a 34-year old and that sometimes got in the way of the story for me. This was especially true when covering dialogue between Claire and the daughter of one of her father’s friends. That young woman sounded like a 15-year old “Valley Girl!”

Original Source: https://novelvisits.com/audiobook-mini-reviews-a-domestic-suspense-edition/

hayleybeale's review against another edition

3.0

This had pretty good reviews but didn't really do it for me. I was just expecting more.

ferniecat's review against another edition

I enjoyed the book for the most part. It kept me riveted to the end. I only gave it 3stars because I found Claire to be irritating and juvenile at times. I kept thinking that she really needed to grow up and deal with her obsession. To get a life. But the overall story was good and worth the read.

cat_is_turning_pages's review against another edition

4.0

Although this story is told from the perspective of a young doctor, the true focal point is her father, the murderer. The daughter of a mysterious monster barricades herself within the walls of an ordinary life as she obsessively hunts for the true story of what happened the night her father tried to kill her mother. Revealed in a mosaic of clipped sketches of the present and painfully detailed images from the past, Claire’s story takes the viewer on a page-turning journey from London to Scotland, finally climaxing in Croatia. The reader gets a definite sense of piecing together a puzzle as fragments of Claire’s character are revealed alongside those of the story.

When I finished this book, I hated it. But that’s because I expected a tidily bundled fictional representation of reality. But real reality isn’t tidy. It’s chaotic. It’s meaningless. And that’s what this story is about. Human monsters will do whatever they want, whatever they can get away with, often with no explanation other than “because I can.” And, in that way, this story is more horror than it is mystery. More philosophy than it is fiction. Yes, it’s uncomfortable. Yes, it’s despicable. And in no way is it fully satisfying. But it is possibly the realest story Flynn Berry could have written.

rmarcin's review

3.0

Claire is obsessed with finding her father, a man accused by her mother of murder nearly 20 years ago. The story is told by Claire, who also reminisces about her parents and their relationship in the early years. Claire’s mother was not born to privilege, but her father was wealthy, educated at Eton, and had powerful friends. I wish there had been more in the story about their early life and the friendships so I could understand more about their relationship.
After the murder, Claire’s father disappears. Her family’s life is ruined, they must take on new identities to escape the gossip and fallout from the crime. But, Claire needs answers, and she will stop at nothing to determine if her father, aided by his wealthy friends, committed murder and covered it up, allowing him to escape and live life elsewhere as a free man. Along the way, she finds secrets about her father and his wealthy friends, and discovers what she will do to uncover the truth.
This is a very quick read, and I liked it OK.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

stefappleton's review

mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.0

Like a bad Dateline episode. Could have been condensed to 50 pages. 

nikki1211's review

3.0

The build-up and suspense author Flynn Berry created in the beginning through three-quarters the way through this book was incredible. After finishing a chapter and wanting to see what would happen next, the next chapter would flashback in time and I knew I would have to wait to find out. This format kept me turning page after page.

Claire is in her early thirties and hasn’t seen her father in twenty-six years. He may still be out there in the world and she can’t rest easy knowing this. He disappeared after her mother’s attempted murder: one in which he is the prime suspect. He plead his innocence through his friend’s whom would be investigated for helping him escape: they denied everything and were never charged. Claire asks herself these questions more often than not: Do his friends know where he is? Did her dad really try to kill her mother or was her mother mistaken? Was her dad more of the man his friends painted him to be or what her mother accused?

Claire stalks her dad’s friends and is obsessed with finding out what happened to her father. Will she find out the truth? What danger will she face along the way? What will her knowing cost her?

After getting to the crux of the story I felt a bit disappointed. There was no twist, no “hold your breath” part that I was waiting on the edge of my seat for. It was a page turner and a fast read I will give the book that: it was just missing a strong ending. That thrilling feeling that built had no where to go, I am still a bit bummed out.

I don’t regret reading it or wish for that time back.

If you read it, let me know so we can discuss!