Published by Atria Books Genres: Fiction, Mystery, thriller
Format: ARC, eBook
3.5 stars
Jamie has been living an easy life. He has lived with his girlfriend, Clare for ten years. She comes from money and the house belongs to her. She pays for things but would like for Jamie to get a higher paying job. He once had a white-collar job, but his agoraphobia makes it difficult to take the tube, so he is now working in a coffee shop. He rides the commuter riverboat with his friend and neighbor, Kit.
On Monday, Jamie notices that his friend, Kit has not shown up to take the 7:30 a.m. riverboat that they ride together. When Jamie departs the riverboat at the London Eye, he is met by two police officers. Kit’s wife, Melia has reported him missing. Apparently, Jamie was seen arguing with Kit the Friday before. What was their argument about?
For me this was a slow burn for most of the book. I am not a slow burn kind of girl, but for some reason, this did not bother me as it does with other books. Candlish threw in just enough twists and turns to keep my interest piqued and have me wanting to know more. Reading this book was like watching a train wreck in slow motion. You know something is going to happen, but you must bid your time, and wait as things begin to unravel.
The story is told through Jamie’s POV, and we are privy to his insights, commentary and thoughts. just when you think you have him figured out…. well…. The characters are an interesting lot. The two couples become fast friends but then things being to cool off between all of them – or does it? The less you know about them the better. Go in as blind as possible.
The plot was intriguing. There is deceit, betrayals and lies. It kept things juicy – just at a slower pace. I do not want to say too much about it, but I enjoyed all the tiny reveals and realizations. I also enjoyed watching Jamie squirm and how things were resolved BUT I wondered if the book was ever going to end. I am not talking about the page length but when I thought things were done and the book was over….it was not. Sone will enjoy this. In my opinion, things could have been a little tighter at the end. Having said that, I enjoyed learning what happened with the characters. I was happy for one character had a little chuckle at the expense of others.
Not my favorite book by Candlish, but still enjoyable and the perfect read while commuting to work. I believe I would have enjoyed this more as an audiobook.
Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.