⭐⭐⭐ 3/5 Stars – A serviceable but forgettable mystery with no surprises.
Format: Audiobook (BorrowBox)
Read: September 2024
I was recommended Claire Douglas recently by a friend, the same friend who introduced me to Lisa Jewell, so I got myself on the library reserve list. I read this one purely because it was the first one available!
Set in Bristol, the story has local journalist Jess sent to report on a woman who has been accused of entering the home of two strangers, shooting them point blank and then shooting herself at her family’s home. The woman is her estranged childhood best friend Heather, and caught up in the mystery is the disappearance of Heather’s sister Flora in the summer they were fourteen.
I found this book to be solidly written but the mystery held no surprises. If you have you read (or even watched) a reasonable number of mystery thrillers purely from the blurb alone it’s easy to predict the twist!
I also didn’t care about any of the characters. I didn’t really understand or feel some of the core relationships. Jess’s commitment issues with her partner were confusing, but particularly Heather and her husband Adam. I especially never felt like I had a clear grasp on who Heather is, why she’d have blackouts and such an intense attachment to her sister. It might have worked better if there had been more focus on their childhood relationship as the emotional core.
In the end it was fine, but if you read a lot of mysteries you’ll probably be quite bored by this. Compared to books by Lisa Jewell I’ve rated 3 stars this is bottom of that pile. I’m hoping there are better Claire Douglas out there for me! If you’ve read any let me know!
REVIEW SUMMARY
I LIKED
- It is paced and written well, making for an easy read.
- The main characters are flawed and dimensional people, even if not everything worked for me.
I DIDN’T LIKE
- The entire story has no surprises, all twists will be easily predicted if you’re a fan of the genre.
- I didn’t really understand clearly character’s issues and relationships. Heather especially remained a very muddy character which wasn’t satisfying.
- I never felt invested in Jess as the main POV.
