Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

If you have read my fiction reviews before on previous First Read books or my other reviews, you know I have issues with authors who tell rather than show. I'm happy to say that the author of this book is a master of showing. While, of course, we are told the main character, Gretchen, is a non-violent sociopath (perhaps too often in parts of the book!), the author actually shows us vividly in Gretchen's thoughts and actions how she has a very different mind and perception of the world. I read a lot of contemporary fiction, and Gretchen is one of the most unique protagonists I've ever read.. and that's saying something! As a nurse, I might disagree that she is a true sociopath as she does seem to be able to get under the skin of others she perceives to be like her, like the young girl accused of murdering her mother. To my understanding, true sociopaths would not be able to understand another person to that level. I found the complex relationships between Gretchen and the two police detectives fascinating. One she had a long history with (Shaughnessy), and the other (Marconi) was a new person for Gretchen to work with professionally, and I truly loved the banter between the two of them. I hope the author keeps that up in the next book of the series as it was quite a delight in an otherwise dark, heavy book. While I certainly liked the book, with its clever character writing and the twists and turns of the well-done plot, I did find the dual-perspective timelines a little confusing at times. I think it's hard enough to have dual timelines in a book, but they didn't always unfold chronologically. Doing so makes much more sense to our human brains, and I'll admit I got tangled up a bit here and there regarding the flow of the sequence of events. I love reading a good psychological thriller once in a while, and this one had me flipping through the pages to see what would happen next. I love that the author kept me guessing as I read the book as each little nugget was unearthed in both timelines, and despite it all, the end came as a surprise... which rarely happens to me… but I love it when it does! Highly recommended. I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.