This novel keep me guessing until the very last page. The full story isn't wrapped until the end. In most detective stories I've read, we get the perspective of the villain, which makes it easier to piece things together. In this novel, we get the perspectives of many people, and we aren't able to piece the story together.
I have a hard time picking which characters were the good guys, and I'm led to believe there are none in this story. It's tragic, really, to witness these people with their hidden agendas even in the midst of this horror.
The alternating perspectives and chronology was hard to keep up with, but I figured it out by making sure I read the chapter headings each time. I usually skip those but for this book, I needed them.
I think Barton does a fabulous job in her debut novel. I was impressed when I read this was her first.
Barton also tied many different pieces together very smoothly. She's able to accurately present the side of the victim's family, the suspect's family, the lead detective and his family, as well as many aspects of the media. It seems like a big bite on her first go, but it's clear that Barton did her research. That makes the read much more engaging and captivating.
When I started reading, I told myself I would just read a chapter of two and then do some house work, but that didn't happen. Because the timeline was so jumpy, each chapter was unexpected and new, and I wasn't able to stop after just one.
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