3.5 Stars
Widow and actress Casey Fletcher has taken refuge, though she’s
also kind of been banished, to the family lake house after her career tanks. While I get why her family and friends feel
she needs to be out of the public’s eye for a while, I kept scratching my head
why they’d leave a woman with a drinking problem basically secluded with access
to alcohol. Because her drinking is really out of hand. And one can only read
about the protagonist taking another drink so many times before it starts to
feel like the book has a drinking game built in for the reader.
If you’re not getting drunk alongside Casey, you’ll probably notice the slow build. And the fact that Casey’s inebriated state is the main thing helping some of the suspension of disbelief with this story.
The premise isn’t original, so it doesn’t have that going for
it. Bored and drunk most of the time,
Casey finds entertainment spying on the new neighbors after acquiring a savior
complex for the wife.
The initial mystery had promise, but I’ve got a beef about
bait and switch marketing. A book with paranormal elements should be indicated
in the description or genre listing. And while I didn’t hate the supernatural elements
of the plot, I would have much preferred a fully real-world suspense. While the
story is entertaining and has a positive ending which I enjoyed, it
would be a much better mystery without the paranormal. Not only did it open the
door to another realm so to speak, it also opened the door to some plot holes,
if not silliness.
Luckily, I inadvertently bought two books by this author only a few days apart. This was my first read and it was okay, but the next one was the real prize. Stay tuned….
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