Paula Daly returns with a tale of domestic suspense that follows a bestselling crime novelist's tragic turn from fictional perpetrator into real-life victim.
Absorbing ... afire with [Daly's] trademark brilliantly defined characters ... The element of literary ambition makes for a fascinating story within the story, with details on the dangers of plagiarism and the destructive practice of 'sock puppetry'—posting fake bad reviews of authors’ work—enhancing the telling. The turn at the end is an absolute triumph. Readers will hope to hear more of the Campbells soon.
I dare you to start this one late at night, because you’ll stay up all night to finish it ... Daly crafts a powerful, and at times, genuinely creepy, domestic thriller. She also realistically and sympathetically tackles the sometimes-horrifying realities of traumatic brain injury, and there are some genuinely heartbreaking moments between Jane and Leon in the unimaginably difficult aftermath of his injury. This is a superb effort from a fiercely talented author.
Now, Daly has a good setup here, but her carry-through is weak at times ... It should be noted that Daly does a good job of keeping the real culprit under wraps until the end of the story, so the reader has all the suspects, just needs to figure out whodunnit before the end of the story. It’s a good premise and Daly does a respectable job of laying out all the clues ... Not a disappointment, just some things that are hard to figure out.
