BECAUSE YOU'RE MINE

5 stars out of 5

Part of my time is spent as a writer, but every single word of it is nonfiction. I read the made-up stuff - in particular the mystery/thriller genre - for pleasure; it really does amaze me how anyone's mind can even conjure up such complex characters and intricate plots that don't really exist, much less pull them all together in coherent and entertaining fashion. And when it comes to all that, boy, this one's a doozy.

Well, okay, it's a teeny bit far-fetched, mostly when it comes to how so many characters with such screwed-up lives could possibly have found each other. But that feeling quickly went by the boards as I got caught up in all the twists and turns of the story. In fact, I read the whole thing in just a few hours - that's how wrapped I got in what was going on.

In the prologue, an unidentified woman is trying to hike to the top of a mountain in the dark (yeah, I know, anybody who would do that pretty much deserves what she gets, but hang with me here). She makes a wrong turn, then a misstep, and then takes a fatal tumble. Next up is a week prior to her death, when readers meet fast friends Grace, Lee, Alice and Carol, who get together after school at least one day a week in Nashville. Lee, a hairdresser, has a young son named Mason who is on the spectrum; to help, her friend Grace introduced her to occupational therapist Noah. 

Not a lot more is said about Alice and Carol, except that they want the foursome to go on a long getaway weekend at a mountain resort. Lee wants (actually, she's desperate) to go, but Mason isn't an easy child to hand off to someone else. But he does love Noah, so Lee reluctantly asks if he'll stay with her son. He agrees, and the trip is on.

Chapters shift from the perspectives of Grace, Lee and Noah - all of whom clearly have "secrets" they've been trying to hide (well, Grace has one she plans to share with Lee once the right opportunity arises, which she hopes will be during their getaway). Little by little, readers get glimpses of all three characters to learn what brought them to this point - memories that gradual merging with the present and - you guessed it - that woman who fell off the mountain.

More details? Sorry, no can do; from this point on, you'll just have to read it for yourself - and I hope you will. Thoroughly enjoyable - many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.

Because You're Mine by Rea Frey (St. Martin's Griffin, August 2019); 358 pp.