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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Everyone in this town was awful. My soul felt tired. I was looking for a good mystery book, but got involved with something way more triggering.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry
I don’t read a lot of mystery/thriller books, but I quite enjoyed this one. It made me incredibly sad most of the time though, just from the fact of the devastating impact and trauma hive-minded ignorance can have. They say god is retribution, god is forgiveness, but no, god is an excuse.
I liked the different POVs, but sometimes the inconsistency of the time jumps had me a bit confused with the timeline of events at first, which I guess was probably a bit purposeful to distract you from figuring out “who dun it” right away, so overall, didn’t mind the time jumps.
I did have an inkling where it was all going to end up at the end about halfway through the book, and I was right, but I was still like “oh shit!” at the final chapters. Overall, a good read for someone like me who is trying to get more into mystery/thriller.
I liked the different POVs, but sometimes the inconsistency of the time jumps had me a bit confused with the timeline of events at first, which I guess was probably a bit purposeful to distract you from figuring out “who dun it” right away, so overall, didn’t mind the time jumps.
I did have an inkling where it was all going to end up at the end about halfway through the book, and I was right, but I was still like “oh shit!” at the final chapters. Overall, a good read for someone like me who is trying to get more into mystery/thriller.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
library loan ended, picked up for a buzzword reading challenge prompt and it just wasn't my vibe
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
He is a bullet that has entered the town and not yet left an exit wound.
from Where the Truth Lies by Anna Bailey
Riveting and dark, this story grabs you with razor teeth and won’t let go. The writing is sharp and the characters heartbreakingly real. The suspense builds beautifully.
Small towns. I lived in a few, briefly. I never understood any of them. But I learned about the gossip, the rumors, how information passes in hushed tones. The way folk could live there decades and still be outsiders. The conformity. How anger gathers in church halls and lashes out, splitting communities. Tourists come into the resort towns to enjoy the beauty, then depart, never knowing the pain and poverty behind the souvenir shops and ice cream parlors.
Anna Bailey has imagined a small town of small minded people and those wracked with guilt, broken people hiding their shame and those who believe they are meant to deal out divine justice.
There is the Vietnam veteran broken by war and a rash act committed when nineteen, driven to God and alcohol to cope, whose anger terrorizes his family. And the pastor and police chief and mill owner who run the town, believing they are the law of man and of God.
And the victims are outsiders, women, and children.
Guilt is a hard body to bury, no matter how many times you might claim God forgives you. You let some things fester long enough, they grow teeth and claws and crawl their way back to the surface again. from Where the Truth Lies by Anna Bailey
But it is also the women and the children who finally break the cycle, the least who become the moral leaders. The abused children, the rejected gay boys, the son who seeks his own path, the crippled child who sees what he does not understand. The woman whose husband was driven away and the woman whose husband beats her.
The story is dark because we do deal such darkness out to each other. The racism, the hate, the fear. Children are trapped and self-immolate or escape.
But at the end, there is a glimmer of redemption. Damage is done, but it is never too late to change your life.
I received a free galley from the publisher through Edelweiss. My review is fair and unbiased.
from Where the Truth Lies by Anna Bailey
Riveting and dark, this story grabs you with razor teeth and won’t let go. The writing is sharp and the characters heartbreakingly real. The suspense builds beautifully.
Small towns. I lived in a few, briefly. I never understood any of them. But I learned about the gossip, the rumors, how information passes in hushed tones. The way folk could live there decades and still be outsiders. The conformity. How anger gathers in church halls and lashes out, splitting communities. Tourists come into the resort towns to enjoy the beauty, then depart, never knowing the pain and poverty behind the souvenir shops and ice cream parlors.
Anna Bailey has imagined a small town of small minded people and those wracked with guilt, broken people hiding their shame and those who believe they are meant to deal out divine justice.
There is the Vietnam veteran broken by war and a rash act committed when nineteen, driven to God and alcohol to cope, whose anger terrorizes his family. And the pastor and police chief and mill owner who run the town, believing they are the law of man and of God.
And the victims are outsiders, women, and children.
Guilt is a hard body to bury, no matter how many times you might claim God forgives you. You let some things fester long enough, they grow teeth and claws and crawl their way back to the surface again. from Where the Truth Lies by Anna Bailey
But it is also the women and the children who finally break the cycle, the least who become the moral leaders. The abused children, the rejected gay boys, the son who seeks his own path, the crippled child who sees what he does not understand. The woman whose husband was driven away and the woman whose husband beats her.
The story is dark because we do deal such darkness out to each other. The racism, the hate, the fear. Children are trapped and self-immolate or escape.
But at the end, there is a glimmer of redemption. Damage is done, but it is never too late to change your life.
I received a free galley from the publisher through Edelweiss. My review is fair and unbiased.