I decided it would be worthwhile to pack a few mystery books into a short time because of the aforementioned Serial withdrawal, all of which I was hoping would provide podcast-level suspense. I think I may have misinterpreted the descriptions of some of these books because I wasn’t getting exactly what I anticipated, but this loose interpretation of the genre brought me this book, which was plenty worthwhile.
The book opens on a family coping with the disappearance of a son years prior. Soon, everything changes, as the son turns up…alive. This means that this book, rather than being a mystery in the traditional sense, is about how a family puts the pieces back together when their world is turned upside down multiple times. At its core, it’s a lovely story about family.
While I certainly didn’t experience much of the suspense the family has felt over the years, there are enough surprises and plot diversions to satisfy the eager reader. I can’t think of anything bad to say about it but there is not a whole lot that stands out. It was just a pretty satisfying read- again, easy to read on the beach without feeling cheap or flimsy. The characters are nicely developed and rarely stray from their traits- a hallmark of a detail oriented author who really knows the people he’s created.
I’m intrigued enough and compelled enough to add more of Johnston’s books to my wish list. He is a great writer, producing consistent and fluid dialogue (both spoken and internal) that shapes and develops a story. I can obviously only recommend this one, but you should probably check out any of his books.
You’ll like this if: you can appreciate well developed characters and nicely written descriptive dialogue.
Happy reading!
carlyreads 