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A review by outsmartyourshelf
The Last Request by Brandon Barrows
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Holly Shaw receives a mysterious letter: her great-aunt Lydia Orlov is dying & wants to spend her last moments with her remaining relatives. Lydia lives out in the wilds of Alaska but curious as to what is on offer, Holly makes the trip. The last one of the cousins to arrive, Holly is taken to see Lydia who doesn't look at death's door, & their conversation leaves her convinced that there is something more at play here. When Lydia's lawyer arrives & confirms that Holly & her cousins, Marcus, Blair, & Jonathan Shaw, & Ryan & Nora Hill are the heirs to Lydia's fortune - a cool sixty million dollars. To inherit, they have to live under Lydia's roof until she dies, if they leave, they get nothing. The money is then split between the remaining heirs which gives everyone a motive to want the others to leave - by any means.
This is a nice little 'locked room' genre mystery where the main players are isolated in one location, here the Alaskan wilds. I liked the plot, it's very simple but effective. I didn't like the main character, Holly, though. She is one of those irritating MCs where any male in a 25 mile radius is in love with her after 5 minutes of interaction, & it gets tedious very quickly. She was also an odd mix of assertiveness & passiveness & her character just didn't ring true. The most interesting person is Lydia who presents as a nice older lady but with flashes of something else hidden away. Verdict: it's a decent thriller & an MC who was a little less irritating would have garnered it a slightly higher score.
My thanks to publishers, Bloodhound Books, for the opportunity to read an ARC. I am voluntarily giving an honest review.
This is a nice little 'locked room' genre mystery where the main players are isolated in one location, here the Alaskan wilds. I liked the plot, it's very simple but effective. I didn't like the main character, Holly, though. She is one of those irritating MCs where any male in a 25 mile radius is in love with her after 5 minutes of interaction, & it gets tedious very quickly. She was also an odd mix of assertiveness & passiveness & her character just didn't ring true. The most interesting person is Lydia who presents as a nice older lady but with flashes of something else hidden away. Verdict: it's a decent thriller & an MC who was a little less irritating would have garnered it a slightly higher score.
My thanks to publishers, Bloodhound Books, for the opportunity to read an ARC. I am voluntarily giving an honest review.