ISBN-13: 9780062424792
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Publication Date: February 2016
Format: Hardcover, 336 pgs
Source: Publisher via Edelweiss
Told in alternating voices between the two lead characters, this psychology suspense tells a story about a long-lost brother convicted of a horrifying crime and a lawyer sister's fight in clearing his name.
Iris is a single mother and a lawyer. She has a young son, Alex, who has behavioural issues and while her relationship with her mother is lukewarm, she needs her help at times in taking care of Alex when she is busy at work. She loves Alex, well which mother doesn't love their children, but Alex isn't an easy child to manage and sometimes, she blames herself for being a bad mother and wish she could do something more for Alex. She knew Alex loves fishes and thus, she didn't question about the aquarium in her mother's house until an incident that leads her into questioning it. That incident is knowing she has an older brother, Ray, and why her mother didn't mention him all the while.
However, the news of having a sibling isn't as shocking as hearing that Ray has committed a crime and is now put in a mental institution for the criminally insane considering he is autistic. Although Iris doesn't know Ray very well, she believes there must be something amiss behind that hideous crime; surely Ray wouldn't murder his neighbour and her little girl for an unreciprocated love? Plus, he is mentally challenged so that adds on to her doubts. Curious about Ray as well as the case, Iris decided to search for answers to this mystery and of course, why her mother has hidden Ray’s existence from her from the beginning.
As much as I was intrigued by the mystery, unfortunately this psychology thriller fall short to me due to the credibility part. The thrill and the mystery had me flipping through the pages quickly but I just didn't buy the part about Ray's hidden existence and the motive of the crime; overall it didn't make sense to me. I won't go further expressing my thoughts as I don't want to spoil anything but I was just disappointed that the reason behind was simply that. Still, this story portrayed a descriptive tale about family ties, lies and secrets which I think might appeal to readers who enjoy reading these issues.
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I have this one to read too. I'm sorry it fell short for you, Melody. I can see how the lack of believably can hurt our enjoyment of a book. I know it can for me. Hmm. It'll be interesting to see what I think when I read it.
It's a shame with a literary thriller doesn't deliver on the mystery but it happens. I haven't heard about this one before but it does sound interesting. I like what you wrote about it so I would give it a go. I think I like the whole "family secrets" part about it.
Wendy - I'm very curious to hear what you'll think of this book so I'm hooking forward to your review, Wendy.
Iliana - The family element is the main point of this story; and though it has intensity and suspense it just fell short on the credibility part, which was a pity. That said, I'll still read her other books in future.
I'm not sure I've seen this one or I may have passed it by because there was 'girl' in the title. LOL
Psychological thrillers are certainly the popular thing these days and so perhaps it's not surprising that every single one is not 'up to par'. I'll keep your thoughts in mind, but I think I'll wait for a couple of other reviews to decide if I want to pursue this one. Thanks for sharing, Melody!
Oops. I hate it when I can't "suspend disbelief" enough to truly enjoy a book. It does sound like an interesting plot, but I may give this one a miss. I'll look forward to seeing what Wendy thinks, though.
Kay - Psychological thrillers are indeed one of the popular genres these days; there are so many subjects/issues being written and not to mention unreliable narrators, lol. I think our expectations have gotten a bit higher with so many choices, well at least to me.
Jenclair - That's one of the killer points to me, being "suspend disbelief", that is.
Kay featured you on Book Bloggers Appreciation Week. It looks like we have similar choice of books, mainly Mystery/Thrillers but with an eclectic mix, definitely adding your blog to my daily feed.
I was completely intrigued but I'm wondering if the credibility will put me off also. I will keep my eye on this one. I'm glad to have found you.
Hi Melody - I've just popped in from Kay's blog too. We seem to share some similar tastes so I'm looking forward to reading more of your excellent reviews in future. Nice to "meet" you!
Marce - Thanks for visiting, and adding me to your feed, Marce. :-)
This book has potential but it's a pity that I didn't buy some of the plots.
I'm glad to have found you, too.
Fiction Fan - Thanks for visiting and I'm glad we share some similar tastes. Looking forward to reading your posts. :-)
A hidden older brother does seem like a stretch. I saw this book on an upcoming releases list a while back, probably on Edelweiss. I might give it a try at some point.
Diana - I wouldn't want to spoil anything but it's not really the hidden older brother but something else. I hope you'll enjoy it more than I did if you do read it, Diana.