I received this novel as an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I am currently swamped with tons and tons of work, which is equally matched by tons and tons of books to read. I am going to do my best to get through everything at a steady pace, so hopefully it won’t become too stressful. With that being said, here is my review:
Grace Neville, an art historian, is at the hearing of Jordan Dukes, who has been found guilty of her daughter’s murder. She thought that with this conviction, she would get the closure she so desperately needed. Instead, days after the sentencing, Grace receives a visit from Jordan’s father, who insists that his son is innocent and the killer is still roaming free. At first Grace is more than ready to dismiss this, especially based on what she knows of Jordan’s history of gang violence. But when Grace’s home is broken into, she begins to question the hasty decision, and decides to investigate into her daughter’s death herself. But the deeper she digs, the more she becomes aware that she may not have known her daughter at all.
This was an average novel in all ways. There wasn’t anything particularly unique about the story or the characters. Grace is obviously a mother in pain, and the author does a good job of depicting her grief. However, that’s pretty much the only commendable thing about this story. Grace is constantly confused, and her naivety can become quite annoying; she just tells everyone everything, and believes the first thing she hears. It took a long time for the story to develop and for the truth to become revealed. And when it did, it felt so far-fetched that I couldn’t take the story seriously. The killer’s identity was the most random thing I had ever read, and no matter what explanation the author gave, it just didn’t make any sense at all. The one thing that bothered me the most was the romance angle that was introduced into the story. While it worked in the sense that the characters were compatible, I don’t know if it was entirely appropriate considering the situation at hand. At the end of the day, this novel was decent but didn’t satisfy my cravings for a good mystery/thriller.
Happy reading ~