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Release date: July 17, 2018

Publisher: Thomas and Mercer

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Blurb:

Family ties so strong you can’t escape…

Mary Olivia Pentecost, known as Mop, was born into one of the wealthiest families in the country—and one of the most guarded. Now, two years after her mother’s mysterious death, Mop is seeking closure on the disquieting tragedy by returning to the New England seaside estate of her cloistered Aunty Liv—once her closest relative and confidante.

But behind the walls of the isolated estate, the shadows of the past are darker than Mop imagined. The puzzles of the family history are not to be shared, but unearthed. With each revelation comes a new, foreboding threat—and for Mop, the grave suspicion that to discover Aunty Liv’s secrets is to become a prisoner of them.

How well do we know the people we love? How well do we want to know them? The answers are as twisted as a tangle of vines in this throat-clutching novel of psychological suspense.

Review:

If you’re craving a super dark and highly compelling read to binge on this summer, look no further because In the Vines has all of that and much more. This was a creepy gothic read that bordered on horror at some points, it sure as hell scared me half to death and you guys know how much I love that!

This is told alternately from Mop’s point of view and her Aunty Liv’s and it does jump around time wise, but everything is clearly labeled and easy to follow. Mop was a great character, but what does it say about me that I loved the mentally unstable and totally unhinged Aunty so much? (No need to answer that one 😜) Following her down a rabbit hole full of dark secrets and bat shit crazy musings was the most fun I’ve had in awhile, Kirk is such an outstanding writer that seeing Aunty’s stream of consciousness felt incredibly authentic, a true glimpse into the mind of someone living in total hysteria and paranoia.

Besides the fabulous characterization the level of detail in Kirk’s writing is truly amazing. Her prose is so rich and packed full of meticulously detailed descriptions that this is one book I would recommend that you savor. The atmosphere she created of a seaside New England mansion that’s the center of several family tragedies and horrifying secrets was vividly drawn and extremely creepy. I could wax poetic for ages about how much I enjoyed her writing style, but I won’t bore you and will just finish by saying read the damn book, SO GOOD!

In the Vines in three words: Immersive, Rich and Menacing.

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.