November 10, 2020

The Betrayal by Terry Lynn Thomas

HQ Digital | 7 January 2021 | 234 pgs
Source: NetGalley 

Attorney Olivia Sinclair feels blessed with her life. With her retirement drawing near, she is looking forward to spending more time with her family until someone sent her a video showing her husband, Richard, sleeping with a younger subordinate. Ironically, Olivia handles many divorce cases herself and she thought she's seen them all and would recognise any marriage in trouble. Feeling betrayed, she is ready to leave Richard but what she didn't expect is that the subordinate turns up dead later and she's being suspected for the murder. 

As Olivia races against time to try to find evidence to prove her innocence, a cold case twenty years ago is being brought up due to the similarity method of murder. Olivia has already lost her faith and trust in her husband but would he had gone so far as to commit a crime and lead the accusation to her? 

This was a fast paced read and the author has captured the setting and the characters' emotions perfectly as the story progresses. From the beginning, the reader learned that Olivia is a strong character who would never let herself go down without a fight; partly due to her profession and that she believes in equality and justice. Richard's infidelity has further fueled her fighting spirit and most importantly, she has to find out the truth, including the cold case and why there are similarities between the two murders? While the plot isn't new and it's not hard to guess the perpetrator if you read carefully, the strength of this story lies in the characters, their narratives and the fast pacing which all makes this a captivating read. At the end, the author stated that this is the first book in the Olivia Sinclair series and although I couldn't think of the direction where Olivia may take us, I suppose we shall all have to wait and see. 


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8 comments:

  1. It is often true that we often guess the perpetrator, but characters make the story compelling. Sounds like a good read, especially since Olivia's strength is enough to hope for her success.

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    1. Jenclair - Characters do play an important part in a story even if they are the villains, isn't it? Olivia is a strong character and I'll be curious what role she'll be playing in the next book.

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  2. Sounds like an interesting way to begin a series. I wonder where she'll take this character next.

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    1. Lark - Olivia is an interesting character indeed. Maybe she'll help to investigate some cases next, I think? ;)

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  3. What a great review, Melody! I do like the sound of this. I am not a huge fan of books that center around premarital affairs, but sometimes I make exceptions when there's great characterizations and a strong story. I am glad you liked this one.

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    1. Wendy - Thanks, Wendy! I think domestic thrillers are the trend nowadays, not that I'm complaining. I think a good characterisation does make an impact aside from the story. :)

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  4. I don't mind guessing early on who the killer might be as long as the characters keep pulling me back into the story. Sounds like Olivia's character is off to a good start!

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    1. Iliana - Characters do play an important part in a story, isn't it? Also, I've to care about the characters too to be immersed in the story. ;)

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