I am absolutely amazed that reading the First Look captured my attention so completely that I wasn’t aware that I was at the end of the reading until I flipped to the last page. Oh, my! I want to know more about Katie and Sam and Chris and Alan Hobbes and Laurence and Caroline. All of the characters are enticingly presented with darkness in each of them and a kind of foreboding hanging over them that is hard to dismiss. The tone of the story is one of mystery mixed with a hint of horror, with two vicious attacks in the excerpt. I am totally invested in the story already and the deep character study with a mere scratch on the surface of what is to come. I am bemused by the author’s tackling the continuum of time within the pages of this absorbing novel and want to read more of how it all turns out. Katie is a teacher who seems to care about her students but also carries a heavy burden of grief. Laurence is a police detective who seems bent on annoying others and asserting his own authority, but his partner Caroline is equally determined to make her own mark in the world and establish her place in the investigation into Hobbes’ death. I am totally blown away with the fresh twist that the author gives to suspense and with the dark atmosphere that is apparent from the first page. Foreshadowing seems to become reality and I am captivated by what promises to be an addictive page turner!