Anna Johnson is struggling with the death of both of her parents only moths apart to suicide. She misses her mother especially as she has recently become a mother herself. Her therapist partner, Mark, worries that she is not coping.
On the anniversary of her mother's death, she receives a card that simply says "Suicide? Think again." The police still insist it was suicide, Anna thinks it was murder, but they are both wrong.
Told from multiple points of view, readers gain enough insight to be engaged and vested in the story and characters themselves. Mackintosh treats the secondary characters with as much care and development as the main characters and this pays off as I was equally enthralled, if not more, in officer Murray Mackenzie's storyline. He has a complicated relationship with his wife Sarah who struggles with mental illness. Murray cares for her as best as he can and loves her unconditionally amongst the ups and downs. This was unexpected and adds another layer to this already enthralling read.
Mackintosh spent 12 years with the police force and this experience enhances her writing. The story was sharp, and paced appropriately to build suspense and intrigue. There were enough twists that I was always one step behind and did not have it all figured out. This was refreshing, as of late this genre has been letting me down with too many books being overly predictable.
Family dynamics are a paramount theme to the book as well as secrets and lies. Mackintosh explores just how far one will go to keep those they love safe. The book is riveting and will have you guessing right up until the last page for one last twist!
CLARE MACKINTOSH is the New York Times and #1 international bestselling author of I Let You Go, and I See You.
She is the founder of Chipping Norton Literary Festival and is the patron of the Silver Star Society, an Oxford-based charity that provides special care for mothers with medical complications during pregnancy at John Radcliffe Hospital.
She lives in North Wales with her husband and their three children.
Great review! This was a wonderfully twisty read.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Laurie!
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