A review by lori85
Pictures of Him by Clare Leslie Hall

emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

So it looks like this is being marketed as a thriller, which is really doing it a tremendous disservice by leading readers to expect something high-stakes, fast-paced, and "twisty." It's actually a more literary tale of love, obsession, betrayal, manipulation, and the abuse of privilege - what F. Scott Fitzgerald summed up as how "they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made."
The story also doesn't have the happy ending people tend to expect from a thriller, particularly of the domestic variety. The villain lives, even if he does lose everything, and one of the protagonists dies.
Overall I found it to be a good middle ground for someone who likes domestic mystery and drama, but without the adrenaline.

Note: the content warnings for this book contain a major spoiler.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings