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bethtmorris's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars. Quick murder mystery to get me unstuck in other books.
_tamara8464's review against another edition
3.0
This book was “okay”. I was surprised by the ending, though as you read the book, you begin to realize who the killer is. It wasn’t a “page turner” but it was a good story and worth the read. It a scenario that no one wants to be in; you divorce a man you had a baby with and then your sister goes and marries him. Plus, she is a better mother than you.
melissasbookshelf's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoy the Under Suspicion series that Alafair Burke co-wrote with Mary Higgins Clark. So since Mary Higgins Clark has passed away, I decided to try the books written solo by Alafair Burke. Unfortunately, they aren't the tame cozy mysteries that Alafair writes with Mary Higgins Clark. They are definitely more gritty in language and substance. The story was compelling. There are two sisters who have both been married to the same man. When he winds up dead, the are plenty of suspects who could be guilty. The narrator you realize is unreliable to an extent and as she unfolds the story, you begin to wonder what more she's not telling you. There is some swearing and sexuality (though no details). If you like the Mary Higgins Clark variety of mysteries, you might be disappointed, but if you like a well crafted grittier mystery, then you might like this. The audiobook version was pretty good.
kellerko's review against another edition
3.0
I have mixed feelings about this book. It was interesting, engaging, and kept me reading. However my gut feeling from very early on the book about who did it ended up being right which is always a little bit disappointing I’d like a little more in the twisting action.
marilynw's review against another edition
4.0
Chloe and her husband Adam seem to have a happy marriage. Chloe is a famous and successful journalist and Adam is a successful lawyer. Ethan is Adam's sixteen year old son by Nicky, and Ethan considers Chloe "Mom" and Chloe loves Ethan as if he were her own. Chloe created the "Them, too" movement and is lauded for promoting women's rights and strengths to stand up for themselves.
Behind the scenes, we find that Ethan's mom, Nicky, is Adam's ex-wife and their marriage ended very badly with Chloe siding with Adam and against Nicky, during the divorce proceedings. Chloe and Adam's marriage is not going well at all, with Adam resenting Chloe for pushing him into the private sector while he would have prefered remaining a prosecuting DA. Things really go bad for everyone when Adam is murdered and Ethan is charged with murdering his father. Chloe and Nicky, who've had nothing to do with each other for the last fourteen years, team up with each other to support Ethan and attempt to find out what really happened the night Adam was killed and what was going on in Adam's life, leading up to his murder.
This book has a lot of things I enjoy, a murder mystery, police investigations, and courtroom drama. It's a slow moving story, so patience is needed to get to the bottom of the mystery. Based on this story, I plan to read Alafair's other two books in what she considers a thematic trilogy, The Ex and The Wife.
Behind the scenes, we find that Ethan's mom, Nicky, is Adam's ex-wife and their marriage ended very badly with Chloe siding with Adam and against Nicky, during the divorce proceedings. Chloe and Adam's marriage is not going well at all, with Adam resenting Chloe for pushing him into the private sector while he would have prefered remaining a prosecuting DA. Things really go bad for everyone when Adam is murdered and Ethan is charged with murdering his father. Chloe and Nicky, who've had nothing to do with each other for the last fourteen years, team up with each other to support Ethan and attempt to find out what really happened the night Adam was killed and what was going on in Adam's life, leading up to his murder.
This book has a lot of things I enjoy, a murder mystery, police investigations, and courtroom drama. It's a slow moving story, so patience is needed to get to the bottom of the mystery. Based on this story, I plan to read Alafair's other two books in what she considers a thematic trilogy, The Ex and The Wife.
learningtoreadagain's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Alafair Burke loves to write about “bad” feminists but to her credit she gets me every time.
supergirlkk's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this book and genuinely did not know where it was going.
meelmeman's review against another edition
3.0
This was one of my first courtroom thrillers and I enjoyed it. I’m not really a Law and Order kind of person, so the courtroom maneuvering was more lukewarm drama than true tension builder, but even so—I wasn’t bored. And for real, I did not KNOW how this was going to end. Like any thriller reader, you’re collecting clues and making your own opinions about who did what… but for the life of me, I didn’t know who the murderer was nor how the whole story would end.
The plot and suspense is totally centered on the unreliability of the narrator which feels annoying at times when, as the reader, you want to be the detective. That said, discovering new things all the way toward the last parts of the book was exciting.
Finally, I did not anticipate that DV/IPV would play such a major role in the story but it really does. It’s done relatively respectfully but it is also a fulcrum upon which the story turns. Using DV for dramatic reveal and momentum building device feels like an oversimplification.
The plot and suspense is totally centered on the unreliability of the narrator which feels annoying at times when, as the reader, you want to be the detective. That said, discovering new things all the way toward the last parts of the book was exciting.
Finally, I did not anticipate that DV/IPV would play such a major role in the story but it really does. It’s done relatively respectfully but it is also a fulcrum upon which the story turns. Using DV for dramatic reveal and momentum building device feels like an oversimplification.
holtemon's review against another edition
3.0
Pretty good thriller, didn't know who it was until the last couple of chapters and didn't see it coming at all.
Knocked off a couple stars for the non-stop in-your-face feminism because come on now, you don't need to beat it in our heads about girl power through the whole book lol
Knocked off a couple stars for the non-stop in-your-face feminism because come on now, you don't need to beat it in our heads about girl power through the whole book lol
mduphare's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
Solid read, easy to get through and enjoyable
Solid read, easy to get through and enjoyable