Suspicion

by Alexandra Monir

Seventeen-year-old Imogene Rockford turned away from her family and their English country manor after her parents' death, but assumes her duty as the new Duchess of Wickersham despite threats and strange occurrences.

• ISBN13: 9780385372510
• Publish Date: 8 December 2015 (first published 1 January 2014)
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Out of Print: 9 November 2023
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Random House Books for Young Readers
• Format: Paperback (UK Trade)
• Pages: 304
• Language: English

Reviews

[adarkershadeofrosie]

Thank you NetGalley for lending me a copy of this book in exchange for a review!

LIKED: Suspicion was like a twisted version of The Princess Diaries, except instead of a princess, the main character is a duchess. And then there’s a mix of supernatural mystery. It’s supposed to be a retelling of Rebecca, which I haven’t read, so I’m afraid I’m of no help with that comparison. • This book made me feel extremely gullible. And what I mean by this is that I mean when the author suggests a certain person is the ‘bad guy’, I believe it! I feel like this is a good thing when it comes to reading books, because I definitely like being surprised – but this probably isn’t a great real-life trait to have, amirite? • There’s ghosts, secrets, and a shocking conclusion that seemed a bit far-fetched, if you ask me. But alas, it was a twist I didn’t see coming, and I suppose I can respect that.

DISLIKED: Imogen, as a character, was nicer than her cousin and played the role of duchess seemingly well, but she was so FIXATED on Sebastian all the time it was a bit annoying. • And then at one point she asked herself if she had feelings for his younger brother, Theo, and I wanted to laugh a bit. After saying she wanted no one else besides Seb, but then instantly flipped and asked that question – I was confused about what she really wanted. • I was also confused about whether or not she liked being duchess – sometimes she was all unsure about it, and then she accepted it as a part of her.

RECOMMENDED FOR: If you’re looking for a pretty short mystery with some supernatural hulabaloo, you should pick up Suspicion! The cover is just phenomenal, and that’s probably 99% of the reason why I requested it on NetGalley. And yes, in case you’re wondering, there IS a reason the bushes are purple on the cover!

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[tweetybugshouse]

I loved this book i never read REBECCA so i won't be comparing this book to that one. I think it was a great mystery novel with a delightful touch of fantasy and parnormal added to make it even more worth reading. It only took me a few days to read this book. I was not able to pick out the who done it as easily as i have been able to in most mystery novels. This had a great ending and i loved the whole setting and style of the story well worth the time to read and enjoy.

[jnikkir]

This review can also be found at my blog, There were books involved...

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I'm honestly not sure where to even start with this review.

Should I talk about the first 80% of the book, which was sort of a mash-up of Princess Diaries and a paranormal-tinged murder mystery - neither of which was that great? Or should I just skip to the end, and tell you how the last 20% (most emphatically, the last 10%) ruined any potential this book had of getting even a 2-3 star review, which I had been considering because the beginning wasn't awful?

Honestly, I'm tempted to just skip to the end, because it was the end that made me realize that I could never in good conscience recommend this book to anyone.

It's true that the writing in the beginning is pretty good. It's totally readable, often quite pretty, and does a good job of setting the stage for a very Princess-Diaries-esque, modern-day, "lost heir inherits beautiful foreign estate and becomes a duchess" story. Things are complicated and made more dramatic by the fact that our duchess, Imogen, lost her parents in a fire at the estate when she was 7, and her cousin who was supposed to inherit may have actually died under mysterious circumstances, not the accident that everyone believes.

I was on board for this story for about the first 40% or so. Then I started to get suspicious. Wasn't there supposed to be some romance? Where was that? Then, at 66%, I went back to Goodreads to double-check the blurb. Yep, there it was: "a spine-tingling mystery and powerful romance". Well, that hadn't happened yet. Also, where was the "action-packed thrill ride" I was promised?

And then the last 20% of the book happened. And I questioned my decision to ever start reading it in the first place.

It's gonna be hard to talk about the ending without giving away major spoilers, but I'll try to be vague. The characters say and do things that are completely ridiculous, and which made me re-think my prior belief that they had any common sense whatsoever. Imogen was an okay character! I didn't find her particularly interesting or terribly compelling, and it's true that her growth throughout the book was mostly just told and not shown. But I thought she had a good head on her shoulders! Apparently not.

Also, the "resolution" to the mystery was so. Completely. Unbelievable. And I mean "unbelievable" in the sense that I cannot explain to you the amount of suspension-of-disbelief it would take to believe some of the revelations at the end of this book. I just... I cannot explain. One of the blurbs in the Goodreads' description, from another author, is "an ending that you definitely won't suspect" — yes! Because it makes NO SENSE! It was so bad that, at 94%, I actually seriously considered DNFing this book, I was so done.

 
In conclusion...

I wish I'd followed my gut when I sort of considered skipping this book altogether, based on the fact that I'd heard from a couple people that the end was a bit "WTF". Yeah... just a bit. Just a teeeeeny tiny bit. -_- The Princess Diaries storyline lacked sparkle and life; the murder mystery lacked suspense; the paranormal elements were wayyyyy under-developed and seemed kind of thrown in there for the heck of it; the romance was so lacking in actual chemistry (and, again, believability) that it lent no redeeming qualities to this book whatsoever. And I will forgive a lot if there's a good ship.

I just... no. This book. No. And the end leaves it open for a sequel and I just... No.

This book gets an extra half-star for being okay in the beginning, and because I'm feeling generous. But that's it.

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There were books involved...

[kimbacaffeinate]

I was so excited to read Suspicion. I love Rebecca and the tale started off well, but quickly fell apart for me. Rockford Manor was deliciously creepy. Sadly the magic felt carnival like and the insta-love didn't win me over. I struggled with the underdeveloped characters and I failed to believe events as they unfolded, There were holes in the plot and threads left unanswered. The mystery thread was the most engaging, but sadly I cannot recommend this.

[lindsey]

(I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

After the tragic deaths of her parents, Imogen moves to New York with her guardians and tries to live a normal life. Her life is about to get turned upside down once again, however, once she receives the news of her cousin's untimely death. She returns to England as duchess of Rockford Manor, and in addition to learning the intricate rules of the English peerage, she also tries to figure out what really happened to her cousin.

Suspicion is a little bit The Princess Diaries and a little bit Downton Abbey, mixed with magic, murder, and mystery. Haunting and suspenseful, I would consider this a light Gothic romance.

It was well-written and had excellent pacing, and there were a couple of plot twists that I was definitely not expecting, but which worked really well.

And finally, I just have to say that I adore this cover. It's gorgeous!

[cornerfolds]

Also available at Cornerfolds!

I first spotted this book on another blog's Waiting on Wednesday quite some time ago. When I spotted it on Netgalley I was thrilled with my discovery! I was even happier when I was approved! This book has everything - magic, romance, and mystery. The only problem was I'd never read Rebecca, so the retelling was ultimately lost on me. Still, I went into it ready to be wowed!

The book opens after all of the main events have transpired, setting the reader up for what is sure to be a thrilling mystery. Suddenly, we're transported back to earlier events - much earlier. Imogen is a ten year old little girl who has come to Rockford Manor, the family's home. Her cousin is a snotty little rich girl, but they share a close bond - and feelings for the same guy, it would seem (although I certainly did not have crushes at 10 years old). After the tragic loss of her family, Imogen is sent to New York as part of her parents' will. This is where she lives with her guardians until she has to return to Rockford and assume the role of Duchess at 17 years old.

Imogen's transition into English society was convincing enough. I really enjoyed how the author made it very clear that the lingo had changed, often pointing out what an unusual phrase meant. I felt like Imogen handled the situation well - much better than I would have! I'm not sure how much I connected with her as a person, but she was a good storyteller at the very least. Her relationship with Sebastian, while enjoyable, seemed a little strange considering he had been with her cousin for seven years prior. The fact that both of them were able to just jump into a new relationship together was a little off-putting.

The first two parts of the book - Imogen's background and her introduction to life as a duchess - were really a lot of fun and were very enjoyable. I was genuinely creeped out by the manor and the maids. I also liked the little (and I mean very little) I got to see of Imogen experimenting with her powers. Unfortunately, the third and final part of the book was where everything kind of fell apart for me.

At the beginning of part three Suspicion became very similar to an episode of Scooby Doo. There was a lot of, "I have to solve the mystery now!" I really expected the mask to come off and someone to scream, "If it weren't for those meddling kids!" I wasn't totally disappointed... The ending left more questions than answers. It seemed completely implausible. I can't say much without spoiling it, but it wasn't believable at all. The biggest question at the end was: why would Imogen have kept the title after everything that happened?

Overall, I did enjoy Suspicion. It just got a little too ridiculous and a little formulaic at the end. I really do wish I'd read Rebecca so I could compare them, but oh well. I'd still recommend this one to fans of paranormal romance, mystery, or even Downton Abbey!