The truth can bring out the worst in the best of friends.
Esme and Benedict Werner have an idyllic life in a tight-knit community until an accident in their cul-de-sac ends in the tragic sudden death of one of their dearest neighbors. After vindicating eyewitness accounts morph into contradictory memories, suspicion, and unaccountable accusations, Benedict is arrested. Esme’s life, too, is changed forever.
As the neighborhood largely turns against her and her family, Esme has time to think about her past and what to do next. Then her fellow residents start looking deeper, questioning one another, and themselves, about hidden lies and betrayals.
Esme has more than her share of secrets. And the consequences of what happened on that fateful late-summer evening on Raven Lane are far from over. When the mask of civility slips, can friends and neighbors recover from seeing the monstrous truths beneath?
Superb Sophomore Outing. In Amber Cowie's much anticipated sophomore effort following her debut, Rapid Falls, nearly one year ago, she becomes even more ambitious - and gives the reader even more value for their money. The overall story here is perhaps a *slight* slump from her stunning debut, and yet even that speaks to how amazing her debut truly was, as this is a truly strong book in its own right and has explosive revelations very nearly as deep as that one did. But what makes this book truly stand out is the novella effectively buried within it - and which would be classified in an entirely different genre of its own. Readers of my other reviews will know that I often proclaim Jeremy Robinson the Modern Day Master of Science Fiction and I have my reasons for doing that. The novella Cowie embedded within this book? It alone could give Robinson a run for his money, and if expanded into a book of its own could be one of the most compelling science fiction thrillers of whatever year it is released. Truly amazing work, and very much recommended.
Reading updates
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Started reading
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13 November, 2019:
Finished reading
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13 November, 2019:
Reviewed