I finished this story about twenty minutes ago and felt motivated and compelled to write my review straight away…. I adored this story, I was wrapped up in this plot until I completed the last sentence.
Zoe hasn’t had much luck in life, after being convicted of killing three teenagers in a car crash, her hopes of a second chance aren’t fairing up too great with her new step dad Chris. Then it all gets a lot worse… her mum is found dead in the shed.
The plot is told from numerous perspectives:
– Zoe as the daughter who’s lost her mother and is terrified of the future
– Lucas as the step son who’s sent a screenplay to Zoe and her late mother; Maria, which could be deadly
– Sam, Zoe’s solicitor from her first case and the secret lover of Tessa, who also is dealing with his own medical crisis
– Tessa, Zoe’s aunt (and obviously Maria’s sister) who’s trying her best to keep everything under control even though she’s got her own secrets
– Richard, Zoe’s uncle who is trying desperately to get over his alcohol addiction so he can be the ‘man’ that the family needs
The book is set only over two days in the present but because there are numerous view points and a number of flashbacks it feels like the two most exhausting days of this family’s life… and I suppose that’s a perfect example of how it would feel in real life.
The plot is intriguing and complex, the multi aspects created an addictive read. I was particularly driven to keep on reading to find out the ending to Lucas’ plot which seemed to be an incremental factor to discovering the true killer.
I was moved by Zoe, her character developed so much over this book and she became a girl who took control of the situation rather than letting her past determine her future. A character which I also loved was Richard, although he’s more of a background character, he stuck out for me… he also managed to take control of his demons and his family values were strong.
Bravo to Macmillan for creating a gripping and moving plot. Now I must get round to reading her previous debut novel, What She Knew….!
Until next time, Chloé x
Reviews by Chloé 