azzies_bookshelf 's review for:

Grist Mill Road by Christopher J. Yates

4.0

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A dark and twisted thriller with some unexpected surprises. The story itself is gripping and cruel. The writing however is a bit wordy with unnecessary descriptions that often go off topic from the plot and create an air of boredom. The plot is full of drama, angst and secrets and had me hooked right from the beginning. I enjoyed reading this book (which is a step out of my comfort zone of usual genres I choose, but I'm trying to broaden my reading horizons this year) but there were definitely elements which slowed the narrative. The story is told from three perspectives - that of each of the main characters - and while these are split into three distinct parts, each part is told with a combination of present day, flashbacks, retellings and letter writing; so it jumps around a bit, making for a bit of confusion with the timeline and leaving me wishing it was just written in chronological order. It's not a mystery novel, but it is full of secrets that gradually unfold to help develop a clearer picture of the events which happened 26 years before. An unsettling, dark and intense story with many overlapping layers.