I read this book as part of a Tandem Collective readalong. I’d applied for their readalongs before but had never been successful. I was all for giving up, thinking I was too old, with too few followers, poor blogging. Then the acceptance mail pinged into my Inbox. I was delighted. I didn’t know what to expect from a Tandem readalong but I didn’t expect this!!
For a start it was a readalong plus - a ‘play-along’ ! The pack contained some crucial post it notes to mark pages, a family tree card, a book mark with some QR codes to locate reading cards and audio recordings and of course the book itself. At one point we had to message a WhatsApp number! We were divided into two groups on Instagram to chat and compete over who we predicted the murderer might be. It was such fun.
But, wait, I hear you ask. Isn’t this supposed to be a book review? Yes, it is and it will be. I take my hat off to the Tandem Collective crew who developed such an entertaining way of enjoying a book. However this would not work with any old story. I don’t think you’d have this much fun with War and Peace, for example!
It worked so well because this book was the perfect choice. It’s a humdinger of a thriller, edge of the seat stuff in places with so many twists and red herrings it made my head spin. A carefully constructed narrative that began innocuously enough, steadily paced but gradually built into a crescendo and then eased down so we could sleep safe in our beds at night with all revealed and resolved.
THE RULES
1. LISTEN CAREFULLY
2. DO YOUR RESEARCH
3. TRUST NO ONE
4. RUN FOR YUOR LIFE
‘Harriet Reed is newly engaged to Edward Holbeck, the heir to an extremely powerful American family.
When Edward’s father hands her a tape of a book he’s been working on, she is desperate to listen.
But as she presses play, it’s clear that this isn’t a novel. It’s a confession to murder.
Feeling isolated and confused, Harriet must work out if this is all part of a plan to test her loyalty.
Because this might be a gismo to the Holdback family - but games can still be deadly.’
That’s the blurb and I’ll offer no more plot specifics than that for one of the great strengths of this book is its ability to surprise you with the unexpected. Clever is the author who can lead their readers down a garden path with little resistance or opposition. I was conflicted so many times about what was going on, who the baddies were, what the truth was. I actually strongly suspected the murderer early on. That character had been portrayed as one of the least likely and we all know in many thrillers the least likely turns out to be the most likely. So when the writer turns things around to make the character seem the most likely I started looking for a less likely character again and….. tied myself in knots! For what if we were up against a flawed narrator? And what if there were not one but two murderers? That sent all my theories spiralling out of the window.
The Holbeck family are quite something and the sense that there are secrets to be uncovered imbues the story with a slightly off balance feel. Their traditions hinted of a latent dysfunction beneath the wealth and privilege. Each time Harriet interacted with the family I had the sense of her entering a nest of vipers. I liked Harriet, a feisty, smart heroine who took on the family single handedly.
I felt there was an almost cinematic quality to the story and I can see this translating well to either the large or small screen. One of those three or four part dramas that can have you binge watching for your own sanity because the suspense of not knowing is too great. I’d not read any of Catherine Steadman’s books before but I’ve a feeling that will change pretty soon!
My absolute thanks to the Tandem Collective for letting me be part of this playalong and heads up to all the folk on my team. You know who you are.
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