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A review by realadhdoug
Monster in the Closet by Karen Rose
3.75
As always, Karen Rose’s world-building and the depth of the interactions between her characters, is spectacular in this novel returning to Baltimore. There was a moment that I got so swept up in the emotions that I actually cried real tears like I was there in the room with them. I would say this novel is the best I’ve encountered of hers in terms of the depth of the relationships between the large circle of friends that has developed in this series.
That being said, the mystery and suspense aspect of this story left a lot to be desired. The biggest mystery isn’t even related to the murder but rather to Taylor’s real reason for becoming an intern at Daphne’s farm—and that mystery is solved within the first third of the novel. In terms of the principal murder that’s sort of the inciting incident of the story, the killer is known from the beginning and he’s not that appealing of a character. He’s not a serial killer and he’s not part of a criminal conspiracy or anything. He’s just a narcissistic, abusive cocaine addict that’s trying to cover up the fact that he beat his wife to death. Meh.
Most of the plots in these novels include a bunch of different characters that keep you guessing about who the killer really is or why they did what they did. Not so much here. More than any I’ve read so far, this seemed kind of like a lifetime domestic thriller sort of story. It wasn’t that interesting in and of itself, but Karen Rose is such a great writer that it was still interesting enough to keep me invested. Definitely worth reading, but this one wasn’t my favorite.
That being said, the mystery and suspense aspect of this story left a lot to be desired. The biggest mystery isn’t even related to the murder but rather to Taylor’s real reason for becoming an intern at Daphne’s farm—and that mystery is solved within the first third of the novel. In terms of the principal murder that’s sort of the inciting incident of the story, the killer is known from the beginning and he’s not that appealing of a character. He’s not a serial killer and he’s not part of a criminal conspiracy or anything. He’s just a narcissistic, abusive cocaine addict that’s trying to cover up the fact that he beat his wife to death. Meh.
Most of the plots in these novels include a bunch of different characters that keep you guessing about who the killer really is or why they did what they did. Not so much here. More than any I’ve read so far, this seemed kind of like a lifetime domestic thriller sort of story. It wasn’t that interesting in and of itself, but Karen Rose is such a great writer that it was still interesting enough to keep me invested. Definitely worth reading, but this one wasn’t my favorite.