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A review by breeburkitt
Antioch by Jessica Leonard
3.0
My feelings for “Antioch” varied widely during the course of this novel.
The book follows Bess, an isolated bookseller and shortwave radio hobb. She quickly finds herself swallowed into the hunt for a serial killer in the small town of Antioch after hearing an unsettling broadcast on her radio. Bess becomes obsessed with trying to solve the killings and find a missing girl before she becomes the next victim.
The premise of “Antioch” is intriguing and the book really is. The first half of the book is unsettling and fast-paced. Author Jessica Leonard manages to weave in a slew of different characters, background and theories smoothly, leading to what should be a smooth and clever reveal.
But that never comes. Instead, the ending comes suddenly and unexpectedly. As I approached the final pages, I kept finding myself wondering how the story could possibly wrap up before the book’s end and I was disappointed to find it never did so. The ending is abrupt and left me feeling like I must have missed something. Too many threads that were expertly laid out were left without any sort of resolution. It felt like a disservice to what Leonard had done so masterfully earlier in the novel.
Despite this, I did enjoy “Antioch.” The build-up is well worth the subpar ending. I’m looking forward to reading more from Leonard in the future.
The book follows Bess, an isolated bookseller and shortwave radio hobb. She quickly finds herself swallowed into the hunt for a serial killer in the small town of Antioch after hearing an unsettling broadcast on her radio. Bess becomes obsessed with trying to solve the killings and find a missing girl before she becomes the next victim.
The premise of “Antioch” is intriguing and the book really is. The first half of the book is unsettling and fast-paced. Author Jessica Leonard manages to weave in a slew of different characters, background and theories smoothly, leading to what should be a smooth and clever reveal.
But that never comes. Instead, the ending comes suddenly and unexpectedly. As I approached the final pages, I kept finding myself wondering how the story could possibly wrap up before the book’s end and I was disappointed to find it never did so. The ending is abrupt and left me feeling like I must have missed something. Too many threads that were expertly laid out were left without any sort of resolution. It felt like a disservice to what Leonard had done so masterfully earlier in the novel.
Despite this, I did enjoy “Antioch.” The build-up is well worth the subpar ending. I’m looking forward to reading more from Leonard in the future.