Wow! I don't know why Patricia MacDonald isn't up there on the best-seller lists with James Patterson and Janet Evanovich. I don't think I've ever read one of her thrillers and not liked it, and this one is certainly intriguing. Eden Radley, a New York book editor, is shocked to hear on the news that her mother, who left Eden and her father years ago to marry a much younger man, has committed murder-suicide. Tara Darby, the mother, apparently taped up windows and doors in her Cincinnati home while her husband, Flynn, was at a writers' conference, then left the car running in order to kill herself and her severely disabled son. Eden is guilt-ridden about ignoring a message from her mother on the night she died, wondering if she could have prevented the tragedy. Eden travels to Cincinnati and is appalled at the attitude and appearance of her step-father, Flynn Darby, and eventually becomes convinced that he was instrumental in the deaths of his wife and child.
MacDonald creates layers and layers of doubts, intrigue, and motives, never allowing the reader to feel that a comfortable and logical solution has been found. She constantly surprises us, along with Eden, as new information comes to light in each chapter. When Eden is put in the impossible position of editing Flynn's new book about his life, she has to return to Cleveland, a trip that opens up more doubts about what happened to her mother.
There are a few typical minor plotlines in this novel, including a budding love interest, and there is a woman-in-jeopardy scene that you can see coming from a mile away. They belong in the book, though, and just add to the excitement of the story. This novel actually touches on a wide range of issues, including mental illness, genetic disorders, infidelity, family relationships, Muslim culture, and the devastation of dealing with hopeless diagnoses. You'll be as shocked as Eden was at the outcome, and you'll be sorry that it had to end.
No comments:
Post a Comment