My fifth read by Catherine Steadman. The previous four have all been solid four stars, and this one got dangerously close to going all the way, but a few logistical snafus in the end kept it at four.
Still impressive. A most impressive solid performance in a genre so overpopulated by trite clichés that I’ve all but given up reading it. I make exceptions for Steadman. Totally worth it. Behind the prismatic cover of this book lies a tale of deceptions centered around an unexpected inheritance and a particularly tricked out basement. It’s impossible to tell how much is too much in discussing the plot here, and so to avoid giving anything away, let’s just say this is a novel of extreme survival and leave it at that. Steadman got a knack for detail which usually hampers (and needlessly bulks up) these sorts of thrillers, but in her work comes across seamlessly and, at times, literary. It is also commendable that she chose to do something different from the usual (missing child - driven mother, spouse with secrets, friends with a decades old secrets reunite, etc.) genre presets. And she gets the suspense just right, keeping you turning pages. It was the ending that left a lot to be desired here. From the neatness of the bow with which it was all tired up to some questionable logistics. Nevertheless, the book is very entertaining and very much worth a read. Please stop now if you haven’t read the novel. I’d like to discuss those logistical snafus without accusations of giving too much away. Okay? Okay, thanks. So, our presumably very intelligent protagonist doesn’t do a lot of work verifying her mysterious inheritance before jutting off to the remote island, does she? But more importantly, her allegedly brilliant and lovely father has no qualms designing a place clearly meant for nefarious purposes. Moreso, he seems more or less okay with it so long as it doesn’t affect his daughter. Moreso, he in fact suspects it may affect his daughter (this is during Lucinda’s visit) but nevertheless does nothing—NOTHING—to warn his daughter about this possibility or prepare her in any way, BUT he does rely on Lucinda’s good graces and kindness enough to ask her to avoid involving his daughter. In other words, he’d rather depend on someone with a proven track of evil deeds than simply warn his beloved only daughter. Interesting. And finally, why would a witness protection program relocate British citizens to the smaller towns, US? Isn’t the entire point of it to make people disappear? How’s putting a foreign national in a staunchly monolingual, socially conservative south of the country generally bewildered by accents going to help them blend in? Anyway, those are just some things that didn’t make much sense. Still a very fun read. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
December 2023
Categories |