I have been holding off on writing this review for a long time because I know that I am in the minority in my opinion on this book. Most people loved this thriller from 2021. The premise here is excellent. We are following the character Matt Pine, who comes home from a night out to the news that his family, which had been vacationing in Mexico, were all found dead. He's devastated, largely going through the motions, when twist after twist hits, leaving him questioning the official cause of death. When an FBI agent seems to confirm his fears, the plot really takes off.
Where this book fell apart for me was the plotline centering around Matt's incarcerated brother, Danny. Danny is serving time for murdering his high school girlfriend, but a recent true crime documentary has convinced a lot of people that Danny is innocent. Matt has reason to believe otherwise though. This came together clumsily for me. I felt like we had two completely different stories that each could have been their own book, but in getting smushed together they both suffered. At one point, the FBI flies Matt out to speak with his brother in a plot device that felt really contrived. Why not just arrange a phone call?
Plenty of people loved this title and weren't bothered by these minor issues, but for me, at the time that I read it, they just made the whole thing feel flimsy. I won't write off this author just yet, because there was a lot of promise in this for me, and I think Finlay's execution is going to get better in time. The cover design was exceptional and the writing was concise.
Where this book fell apart for me was the plotline centering around Matt's incarcerated brother, Danny. Danny is serving time for murdering his high school girlfriend, but a recent true crime documentary has convinced a lot of people that Danny is innocent. Matt has reason to believe otherwise though. This came together clumsily for me. I felt like we had two completely different stories that each could have been their own book, but in getting smushed together they both suffered. At one point, the FBI flies Matt out to speak with his brother in a plot device that felt really contrived. Why not just arrange a phone call?
Plenty of people loved this title and weren't bothered by these minor issues, but for me, at the time that I read it, they just made the whole thing feel flimsy. I won't write off this author just yet, because there was a lot of promise in this for me, and I think Finlay's execution is going to get better in time. The cover design was exceptional and the writing was concise.