JUNE 1975:

Two teenagers are murdered in their home. The only survivor is their brother, vincent taylor—who’s been haunted by suspicion ever since.

Fast forward decades and Vincent’s now a famous horror writer with a creepy legacy and a story no one really trusts.

His daughter Olivia has spent her whole life hiding who he is. Now broke and out of options, she agrees to ghostwrite his final book… only to find out it’s not fiction at all.

Because after fifty years, Vincent’s finally ready to tell the truth about what happened that night. Or at least his version of it.

---

This book is reminiscent of the story of the Happy Face Killer (a new series just came out - great timing for a book with similar components).

I loved the layered story. It kept me hooked and guessing where things were going, but also very present with the story because there was never a dull moment.

Unpredictable twist upon twist upon twist (yes you read that right).

The cycle of trauma was well written and illustrated.

Clark manages to give unlikable characters likable qualities during their character arc.

Not slow. It kept me guessing and wanting more. Enjoyable to unfold.

The story wraps up very nicely but not all fluffy… it felt like a satisfying ending, satisfying twist(s)?!

I appreciate that Clark didn’t take the easy way out with any part of the story line. She didn’t choose to be “predictable” and it paid off.

I didn’t realize until I finished the book that my first book blog post was another Julie Clark book (the lies i tell) <— spoiler alert… I really loved that book too!

(4.2/5 stars)