Atria Books | 11 July 2023 | 320 pgs
Source: Publisher via Edelweiss
Julia and Sienna Larkin are sisters-in-law and business partners as well. To them, Jason (Julia’s husband and Sienna’s brother) is a good and a hardworking man who'd put others before himself. He's also been working diligently for a promotion at work and life is happy for them, until his boss, Gavin, is found brutally murdered.
A few days later, Jason is met in an accident and is in a coma. The police investigation points to Jason as the prime suspect of Gavin's murder, since the murder weapon is found in his car. The news rattled Julia and Sienna, since they didn't believe Jason would hurt anyone. Sienna believes in Jason strongly since he saved her from a sexual assault years ago. With Jason in a coma and he couldn't defend himself, Julia and Sienna decided to take matters into their own hands and investigate themselves, starting with his colleague, Maeve, who claimed that Gavin was acting suspiciously before his death. But as Julia and Sienna dig further, they find their opinions are divided and this put their friendship at risk.
The story is told between Julia’s and Sienna’s POV. Julia's narrative is calm while Sienna’s is full of rage and in a defensive mode. As much as this book was interesting in a way that it captured the relationship between two sisters-in-law, the pace was extremely slow and there wasn't much intensity and thrill as too much was focused on the two sisters-in-law's investigation and their reactions. Perhaps this is the intention by the author to portray their dynamics as the story progresses. While the plot did escalate towards the end, it felt a bit rushed and although there was a twist, it was easy to figure out if you follow through the story. Overall, I enjoyed this more of a domestic suspense than a psychological thriller.
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I like the idea of the story alternating between the two sisters' POVs, but I'm sorry the pacing was so slow. That's always a bummer in a thriller.
Lark - I don't mind a slowburn thriller if the plot is strong enough to hold the story, but lately I've been getting a bit tired of this slow pace read so an action-packed or a different genre will be good. Can't wait for our upcoming buddy read! :D
I like my thrillers to be fast paced. It has to be extra good for me to be okay with a slow burn. I am not sure this one is for me.
Wendy - I share the same sentiments, Wendy. Hopefully her next book will be better.
What a thriller is bogged down with a slow plot it makes it hard to read and you just want to get to the conclusion right? I do like the fact that in this one the main character has two important women in his life trying to find out what really happened.
Too bad it was a bit on the slow side. I am curious about what was going on though. I need to get caught up with her books.
Iliana - I think it has an interesting concept. If only the pace was a bit faster.
Diana - I think this is my first read by this author and despite this a so-so read, I'll be curious what she'll be writing next.