I Did It for You – Amy Engel

I must admit that initially this book had me fooled into thinking it was set in the town where my brother lives in Shropshire, Ludlow. And indeed, it IS set in Ludlow but it’s a Ludlow in small town America! My disappointment was short-lived when I started to read this fiendishly, twisty plotted story. It’s a complex story that will have you playing amateur sleuth as you try to figure out exactly what is going on – copycat killer or the same one? 

 

In tandem with the crime aspects of the novel there are some spider web relationships enduring throughout; family, friendships, romance, law enforcement. I think the book also explores the nature of grief and what it can do to an individual. And how hard it is to escape the fetters of the past. 

 

The pace is such that the reader cannot help but read on and on to complete the jigsaw laid out before them. Secrets unfold that throw some suspicions under the bus and give birth to new ones. It is gripping.

 

The characterisations are excellent, the author’s ability to develop characters who are real and flawed and to elicit empathy even for those who have transgressed the law most horribly is admirable.

 

I didn’t see the final denouement, it really took me by surprise. So the ending was quite moving. Altogether a very entertaining read. 

 

My thanks to Rhiannon Morris at HQ Stories for my copy.