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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
slow-paced
My Rating Style: 2.5 rounded up to 3⭐️⭐️⭐️stars - 2 felt unfairly low but 3 feels high ENOYED BUT…
Myles and Lana Butler live the high life in a gorgeous exclusive estate in Wimbledon. Myles is playing the balancing act with his mortgage and cashflow, but as Lana is accustomed to a certain lifestyle he is sure he can get on top of the rising mounts of debts. Everything is fine (or so you are led to believe) until one of Myles investments goes horribly wrong and they are set to lose everything.
Myles will tell you everything went wrong when the Wrights move in next door. A successful couple, a beautiful house and they hit it off instantly. At drinks one night Myles and Lana share their financial worries with their new friends and a somewhat dangerous solution is discussed. Life insurance fraud… of course with a cut going to the Wrights for their agreeing to assist.
No one was being serious … right?
No one really agreed to go through with this far fetched plan … right?
No one mentioned murder … did they?
That is until one night Lana doesn’t come home… this is when Myles real trouble kicks in…
Soooooooo…. Anyone who has been reading my recent reviews has noticed I have found a new author and quickly made short work of her back catalogue. So when I realised that Olivia Kiernan the author of the Frankie Sheehan books (HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND BTW) had a standalone thriller on NetGalley I got my requesting skates on and immediately asked pretty please of the publisher. ANNND here we are….
So as my rating suggests to me this was a 2.5 star book… 2 was far too low but 3 felt generous but I rounded up because I really love this author and I absolutely adore her other books so I felt like she was branching out to something new and different that FOR ME didn’t quite land… I think there will be readers that will love this but it fell a bit flat for me and I will tell you why. First though what I liked…
I liked the premise of the book I think it was a bit of wicked dangerous fun that turned into something much more sinister. I do like the story of the rich kind of getting their up yours especially when they are pompous and judgmental to others who are less than in their opinion so this was fun for that reason. I also really liked the description of the houses in the Court where they lived. They did sound gorgeous and lets face it who isn’t going to live in a comfy gorgeous house when they have money so that made sense to me.
I didn’t dislike Myles but he grated on me as the story went on…I don’t know about you but I am not a huge fan of reading about men who will do ANYTHING for a woman just cause shes “out of my league” and I gotta keep her or shes “Uber gorgeous” and I gotta keep her or whatever other superficial reason to basically act like a pushover pussy. It gets on my nerves, he does redeem himself as the story goes on (in a terrible way) but I wont say more than that cause I don’t want to spoil it for people.
Most of the characters are unlikeable and I think they are supposed to be except for loveable Daniel who was a bit of a loser to redemption story which was good I guess… but I think he could do better than Charlotte… just saying. Either way this is a popcorn thriller where you are meant to be misdirected and red herring’d like crazy and that’s what it tries to do… Unfortunately it doesn’t quite land.
I did guess most of the twists and the ones that I didn’t guess I was a bit meh about anyway. Basically for me it was like reading a completely different author there was none of that humour and fun that her other books have. It wasn’t set in Ireland so she had taken out all the Irish slang (which is fine and relevant to this particular book) but I missed it and it honestly felt like I was reading a debut novel from a completely different author.
The ending left me looking for more pages… even though I think the story itself was a little too repetitive and descriptive, lots of hand holding through scenes about making coffee and getting the cup from above the sink etc etc… but again it isn’t like this in her other books so I was pretty confused. I think the book could have been shorter but had a better ending or a little more…
Also what I think would have improved this (and we all know I am a sucker for this so maybe its just me) was a multi-POV rather than first person from Myles only. I think if we were able to read a few different POV that would have improved this story a lot… it would have given the reader more insight into the devious things going on.
Overall: would I recommend… well… sure I would BUT… only if you don’t mind the things I raised as meh moments above. If you think this would annoy you though… don’t write this author off she has an amazing Police Procedural series that you should absolutely check out it was nothing under 4 stars for me in four books. Loved it and would read it again!!!
Thank you to Quercia Books, NetGalley and Olivia Kiernan for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Myles and Lana Butler live the high life in a gorgeous exclusive estate in Wimbledon. Myles is playing the balancing act with his mortgage and cashflow, but as Lana is accustomed to a certain lifestyle he is sure he can get on top of the rising mounts of debts. Everything is fine (or so you are led to believe) until one of Myles investments goes horribly wrong and they are set to lose everything.
Myles will tell you everything went wrong when the Wrights move in next door. A successful couple, a beautiful house and they hit it off instantly. At drinks one night Myles and Lana share their financial worries with their new friends and a somewhat dangerous solution is discussed. Life insurance fraud… of course with a cut going to the Wrights for their agreeing to assist.
No one was being serious … right?
No one really agreed to go through with this far fetched plan … right?
No one mentioned murder … did they?
That is until one night Lana doesn’t come home… this is when Myles real trouble kicks in…
Soooooooo…. Anyone who has been reading my recent reviews has noticed I have found a new author and quickly made short work of her back catalogue. So when I realised that Olivia Kiernan the author of the Frankie Sheehan books (HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND BTW) had a standalone thriller on NetGalley I got my requesting skates on and immediately asked pretty please of the publisher. ANNND here we are….
So as my rating suggests to me this was a 2.5 star book… 2 was far too low but 3 felt generous but I rounded up because I really love this author and I absolutely adore her other books so I felt like she was branching out to something new and different that FOR ME didn’t quite land… I think there will be readers that will love this but it fell a bit flat for me and I will tell you why. First though what I liked…
I liked the premise of the book I think it was a bit of wicked dangerous fun that turned into something much more sinister. I do like the story of the rich kind of getting their up yours especially when they are pompous and judgmental to others who are less than in their opinion so this was fun for that reason. I also really liked the description of the houses in the Court where they lived. They did sound gorgeous and lets face it who isn’t going to live in a comfy gorgeous house when they have money so that made sense to me.
I didn’t dislike Myles but he grated on me as the story went on…I don’t know about you but I am not a huge fan of reading about men who will do ANYTHING for a woman just cause shes “out of my league” and I gotta keep her or shes “Uber gorgeous” and I gotta keep her or whatever other superficial reason to basically act like a pushover pussy. It gets on my nerves, he does redeem himself as the story goes on (in a terrible way) but I wont say more than that cause I don’t want to spoil it for people.
Most of the characters are unlikeable and I think they are supposed to be except for loveable Daniel who was a bit of a loser to redemption story which was good I guess… but I think he could do better than Charlotte… just saying. Either way this is a popcorn thriller where you are meant to be misdirected and red herring’d like crazy and that’s what it tries to do… Unfortunately it doesn’t quite land.
I did guess most of the twists and the ones that I didn’t guess I was a bit meh about anyway. Basically for me it was like reading a completely different author there was none of that humour and fun that her other books have. It wasn’t set in Ireland so she had taken out all the Irish slang (which is fine and relevant to this particular book) but I missed it and it honestly felt like I was reading a debut novel from a completely different author.
The ending left me looking for more pages… even though I think the story itself was a little too repetitive and descriptive, lots of hand holding through scenes about making coffee and getting the cup from above the sink etc etc… but again it isn’t like this in her other books so I was pretty confused. I think the book could have been shorter but had a better ending or a little more…
Also what I think would have improved this (and we all know I am a sucker for this so maybe its just me) was a multi-POV rather than first person from Myles only. I think if we were able to read a few different POV that would have improved this story a lot… it would have given the reader more insight into the devious things going on.
Overall: would I recommend… well… sure I would BUT… only if you don’t mind the things I raised as meh moments above. If you think this would annoy you though… don’t write this author off she has an amazing Police Procedural series that you should absolutely check out it was nothing under 4 stars for me in four books. Loved it and would read it again!!!
Thank you to Quercia Books, NetGalley and Olivia Kiernan for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a little too slow for me for the most part! The plotline was interesting, though I did guess the small "twist" and I didn't get any major shock moments. I felt it could've been more dramatic in parts, but I did feel the tension the main character was experiencing building nicely throughout!
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
This just didn’t do much for me. A 2-star rating, for me, doesn’t mean I hated it. But it just means I only enjoyed parts but overall didn’t love the story.
I do see the potential of the book to be enjoyable for a lot of people so this is only for my personal opinion / taste in crime & thriller reads.
It was going good at the beginning and I was enjoying the story, but then I struggled to stay engaged / hyped to see where it went. I think I lacked the care for the characters, or the deep mystery of finding out what was happening.
I feel like the big twists were kinda predictable for me, and didn’t feel too mind-blowing. I didn’t really get a good sense towards the main characters choices in his actions towards the end, and felt like they could of been backed with a little more relevant stories or depth to his thought process.
It feels like a long journey to get to the characters final ending/closing and I just wasn’t blown away with the overall premise & how it ended. It was still an easy read, and enjoyable in parts.
I do see the potential of the book to be enjoyable for a lot of people so this is only for my personal opinion / taste in crime & thriller reads.
It was going good at the beginning and I was enjoying the story, but then I struggled to stay engaged / hyped to see where it went. I think I lacked the care for the characters, or the deep mystery of finding out what was happening.
I feel like the big twists were kinda predictable for me, and didn’t feel too mind-blowing. I didn’t really get a good sense towards the main characters choices in his actions towards the end, and felt like they could of been backed with a little more relevant stories or depth to his thought process.
It feels like a long journey to get to the characters final ending/closing and I just wasn’t blown away with the overall premise & how it ended. It was still an easy read, and enjoyable in parts.
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A fun, twisty thriller that gains momentum in the second half and leaves you unable to put it down until you've read the last page. When Kiernan's central character Myles Butler, and his wife Lana host a dinner party for their new neighbours, they find themselves tempted by an invitation to conspire in an insurance fraud, thus triggering a series of horrific events. Though dark, there is a campy, outlandish feel to the story that, rather than detracting from it, buoys the narrative and builds pace. It's the first of Kiernan's books I've read and I'll seek out more having read this.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes