SUCH A BEAUTIFUL FAMILY

3 stars out of 5

I had high hopes for this story, if for no other reason than I'm a fan of other works I've read by this author. But while I read it eagerly from start to finish, most of my attention centered on the hope that the three main adult characters would stop behaving like children and there would be a bang-up surprise ending. Alas, neither happened. The only character who had both common sense and intelligence, in fact, was a boy who had way too much of both to be believable at his newbie-teen age. And the ending? A ho-hum resolution, leaving me with the feeling that nothing much really changed from the beginning to the end.

Here's the gist: Nora Harmon has a wonderful husband, two growing-up-fast children and a successful career. Out of the blue, she's contacted by Jane Bell, the owner of a whiz-bang software company, who makes Nora an offer of employment she can't refuse (never mind that any sensible person would have done exactly that, at least until the "too good to be true" sound of it was debunked by facts). Very soon, it becomes clear that Jane is at the very least emotionally needy; there's nothing she won't do, it seems, to solidify her relationship with Nora and make Nora's family hers - and that includes lying through her teeth.

It also becomes clear that Nora and her aging parents have been hiding a dark secret - and her attempts to justify never telling her supportive husband David nor their children Hailey and Trevor left me shaking my head. Still another turn-off is that despite some serious misgivings, Nora also manages to justify Jane's attempts to ingratiate herself into the family, even when it's clear they're doing more harm than good.

Of course, it doesn't take readers long to figure out that Jane may have an ulterior motive, and not much longer to figure out what it is. From that point on, it's just a matter of when (or if) Nora - or anyone else in the family besides Trevor, who as I mentioned earlier somehow managed to end up with the brains of the family - figures out what Jane's really up to. The result for me is that while the book is well written and definitely held my attention throughout, overall it was a bit disappointing. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.

Such a Beautiful Family by T.R. Ragan (Thomas & Mercer, November 2022); 266 pp.

ALL DRESSED UP

3.5 stars out of 5

How do you spoil an otherwise clever, creative plot? Make a main character so insufferable that it's hard to focus on anything else.

At issue is Rebecca, who is beside herself because her husband Blake cheated on her a while back (they've been in therapy, but that seems only to have turned Becca into even more of a hot mess). So as a surprise intended to bring them closer together, Blake arranged for a role-playing mystery theater weekend at Millingham House, a posh hotel. That, too, arouses Becca's suspicions, especially when a couple of the other women in the mystery party are a little too beautiful to suit her and he dares not only to look, but (gasp!) speak to them.

It's the mystery theater angle that makes up the clever and creative part of the equation; dressed for the 1920s and assigned character roles and funky names like "Miss Ann Thrope" to stick with throughout the weekend, the plan is for the guests to figure out who the murderer is at the conclusion of their stay. Chapters that outline what each is to reveal (or not) to the others and provide background for their fake identities are interspersed with real-time situations - many of which are hard to separate from the role-play scenarios the guests are expected to follow.

At the outset, a "murder" happens right before their eyes - a fun part of the experience, until Becca freaks out because her clueless, cheating husband didn't tell her what the weekend entailed before they arrived and she thought it was real - a horror she just can't get past because, she insists, it made her look foolish in the eyes of the other guests. Then when one of the staff members - all of whom are role-playing as well - turns up missing, Becca doesn't believe the explanation the guests are given. Instead, she chooses to concoct her own morbid version (and, predictably, takes it as a personal affront when Blake and some of the others don't readily buy into her theory).

I did have one thing in common with Becca, though; it was a little hard for me to separate pretend from reality most of the way through (giving me insight as to how she must have felt while building momentum for the ending). But although I've attended a couple of real-life events similar to this, I failed miserably both times when it came time to picking the whodunit - giving Becca a decided edge over me in that department. The ending brought some closure to the marriage travails, although the advice I had for Becca early on stands: Yep, Blake done you wrong; now either kick him to the curb or stand by your man and get on with it.

Overall, though, the entire adventure made for a fun and unique reading experience - one I'm sure many others will enjoy. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for providing me with a pre-release copy to read and review.

All Dressed up by Jilly Gagnon (Bantam, September 2022); 318 pp.

MY WIFE IS MISSING

4 stars out of 5

I've read three of this author's books and enjoyed them all. This one keeps the record intact, although I must admit it's not my favorite of the four. It's longer than it needs to be (repetition was an issue for me), and the main characters spend way, way too much time inside their own heads trying to figure out who's out to get them and why. All that aside, though, it's an entertaining story that I'm quite sure many other readers will enjoy thoroughly.

The initial focus is on Natalie Hart, who is on the run from her husband, Michael - taking with her their two children, Addison and Bryce. Their marriage has been on the rocks of sorts for some time now, and she suffers from debilitating insomnia that certainly hasn't helped ease the situation. But she's not only certain that Michael has been carrying on an affair right under their noses, but that he's been keeping an even darker secret from his younger days that at the very least could kill any chances for a reconciliation if the details come to light.

Michael, though, seems gobsmacked by his family's disappearance - even though he admits (to readers) some of the truth and hints that there's more to come. Needless to say, he's fiercely intent on finding his on-the-run loved ones - if not to repair his marriage, but to get the children away from a mother he believes is seriously disturbed.

Chapters shift from perspectives of Natalie and Michael both in their present and past, thus weaving backstory threads that readers presume (rightly) will make a coherent tapestry at the end. Adding texture is Natalie's workplace experience and friendships as well as a meddlesome but seemingly well-meaning police detective who insists on tagging along with Michael as he tries to learn Natalie's whereabouts. As the end closes in, the action heats up to the point of meltdown - leading to what I'm sure is supposed to be a bigger surprise than it was to me. All in all, it was worth reading - and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review it. 

My Wife Is Missing by D.J. Palmer (St. Martin's Press, May 2022); 384 pp.

THE NEW HOME

4 stars out of 5

If there's any character in any book who personifies the old maxim, "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you," it's Freya Northcott, the main character in this book. But honestly, knowing that didn't decrease my urge to throttle her most of the way through the story. In fact, when other characters urged her to take anxiety-relieving drugs, I kept hoping they'd ignore her refusals, tie her down and get 'em in her one way or another.

But paranoia also can make for a don't-want-to put-down adventure, and this tale qualifies. Freya and her fiance Jack have moved to a fixer-upper home in the London suburb of Waybridge, which is closer to the hospital where he works as a cardiology consultant. Freya is a developer/producer of video documentaries, but she has no projects in the works at present, in part because the pandemic has put the brakes on most parts of the economy. She also has a vivid imagination, which can be helpful in her professional endeavors. In her private life? Maybe yes, maybe no.

When she and Jack first meet Emily and Michael, the couple next door, for instance, Freya gleans a hint that Jack and Emily aren't strangers. When they meet the elderly Cathy, the neighbor on the other side of the house, Freya intuits that life isn't all roses for Emily and Michael. When Emily and her young daughter Thea go missing, then, it's an easy leap for Freya's ever-suspicious mind to conclude that Michael is the culprit.

Something else that happens to Freya sends her paranoid genes into overdrive; after that, she vows not to stop until she's found Emily and Thea even though logic tells her they're dead. From that point on, she pretty much goes bonkers - going places and doing things that "normal" people - including the police and her fiance - consider both illogical and downright illegal. All the while, she rationalizes that she's doing it in the best interests of her close friend Emily (whom she's known for all of a few days total).

Needless to say, at least some of Freya's illusions may be real; as readers learn along the way, several characters aren't exactly who they claim to be (i.e., they have secrets they'd rather not be revealed). So how does Freya sort out truth from fiction (maybe more to the point, how can readers know who's who and what's what)? By the somewhat surprising end - in fact, even after it - I'm not totally sure any of us has a good answer. But getting there certainly was an engaging adventure - as expected from this talented author - and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.

The New Home by Chris Merritt (Bookouture, September 2021); 302 pp.