Reviews

Cal Lovett is not your typical crime/thriller hero. He is a podcaster and journalist who tackles unsolved cold cases. He is driven by the death of sister, Margot, whose murder was never solved. Now his latest case echoes Margot's case and after he interviews a notorious serial killer, he wonders if Margot was also one of his victims.

He beings to investigate the 1986 murder of Layla Mackie in the wilds of Aberdeenshire. She was a manipulative teenager and a bit of a bully but did any of her escapades lead to her murder?

The story is told mainly from Cal's POV with occasional slips back to the 1980's to see how Layla lived.

Cal is a very likeable character. He's just your average joe - no military or police background. He loves his daughter but he and his wife are drifting apart and he struggles to keep his marriage afloat. Chrissie, his daughter, was a really nice character too as she sort of filled out Cal's character as we see his interactions with her. Shona, a forensic anthropologist who aids Cal is the person who can solve some of the mystery around Layla's death.

Well written and well crafted plot. I did not guess who the killer was until the big reveal so that was very novel for me. There is high tension, lots of emotion and I feel that Cal deals with his unravelling home life well. whilst investigating Layla's murder.

lisaharrigan's review

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mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot

3.0

whatlexysaid's review

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

kristenrosearn's review

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adventurous dark mysterious sad 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

3.25

this_kiwi_reads's review

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3.0

Unsolved is a well-written and engrossing murder mystery novel. The story follows two cold case missing women stories with one of them very personal to the main character. Cal is a true crime podcast host and his investigation into a missing women from over thirty years ago stirs up painful memories of his own sister's disappearance.

Cal's character was well developed and the storyline had a good cadence. I would read more of his stories if the author makes this into a series.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review.

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