Goodreads

Release date: January 18, 2022

Publisher: Thomas and Mercer

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

A quiet neighborhood. A lovely home. A promising new beginning. In a heartbeat everything can change in this propulsive novel of suspense by USA Today bestselling author Kaira Rouda.

Julie Jones has left her suffocating marriage. With her teenage daughter, Jess, she’s starting over. Their new house in Oceanside is the first step toward a new life. Even if it does come with the unexpected. The previous owners, a pastor and his wife, have left something—or rather someone—behind…

Tom Dean has a bitter hatred for the father who considers him a lost cause, and for the woman who’s moved into their family’s house. The only home he’s ever known. He’s never going to leave. She thinks he’ll be gone in three days, but Tom has the perfect plan.

For a newly single mother and her daughter, a fresh start is the beginning of a nightmare. Before the weekend is over, somebody is going to get exactly what they deserve.

Review:

I’ve read and enjoyed all of the authors suspense books and she has this unique ability to craft the most unlikable characters that are kind of endearing? It’s bizarre but I mean that in a good way, it’s almost like they’re brazen in their bad behavior and they own it and there’s something fascinating about that for me. With all that said there are a couple of characters that fit that bill for me here making this a pretty wickedly delicious read in most ways.

There are several characters that are loosely connected to each and you hear from each of them in alternating viewpoints. Most of the chapters are short and snappy but at some point around halfway it lost me a little and it felt like things meandered a bit. The end did pull me back in but there was something small missing for me here, I’m still pondering what exactly that is. Not my fave from the author but still a decent read and I’ll continue to read more from her.

Overall rating: 3.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.