Bettina Holland, known for being the daughter of The Smiley Face Killer, confronts her past and questions her beliefs about her father's guilt when a series of copycat murders emerge, as she teams up with Eugenia, the mortician's daughter, to unmask a murderer closer to home than she ever imagined.
The tentative friendship [Bettina] develops with Eugenia is part character expansion, part thesis statement in an attempt at commentary on solidarity between women, and adds to a twisty plot. The execution of this thriller finds more success in the latter, a success largely due to subtle authorial machinations that drag everyone’s motivations—including Bettina’s—into question. Even seasoned thriller readers will find the open-ended conclusion spine-tingling.
Clunky dialogue, an obvious red herring that drives the plot, and an ending that shies away from the moral complexities Bett seemed poised to confront detract from the central puzzle ... An also-ran in the crowded YA mystery/thriller space.
