Berls
Written on Apr 18, 2022
The premise of this book is what drew me in. As a mother, I don't know how I'd respond to the realization that my child is a sociopath. It's very easy to imagine behaving just as Erika Cass does - trying to protect him from himself and loving him deeply, all while fearing for him and being slightly afraid of him. And when a girl ends up missing, Erika believes the worst has finally happened. It's gut wrenching.
Meanwhile, we see things from the perspective of two characters only - the missing girl and Erika - but we also get these snippets of interviews of people who have known Liam over the years and most believe he's absolutely capable of murder.
I was captivated and heart broken for Erika from beginning to end. There are a couple of shocking twists, one which completely blew me away (and yet, the groundwork was there... Brilliant!) and another which I hoped I was wrong about. This was my first read with Frieda McFadden but I would not hesitate to pick up another. So good!
Suzie Althens and Daniel Thomas May were new-t0-me narrators that I would definitely listen to again. I felt like they did a good job of bringing out the characters, as well as complimenting each other's styles -- overall a good fit. I read at 2x speed (my normal speed) and it was a comfortable listen- I read it in just 2 days!