Brook Haven feels different now. Wealthy newcomer Faye Arden has transformed the notorious Moor Manor into a quaint country inn. Jac’s convinced something sinister raja botak lurks beneath Faye’s perfect exterior, yet the whole town fawns over their charismatic new benefactor. And when Jac discovers one of her granddad’s prized possessions in Faye’s office, she knows she has to be right.
But as Jac continues to dig, she stumbles upon dangerous truths that hit too close to home. With not only her life but also her family’s safety on the line, Jac discovers that maybe some secrets are better left buried.
While I fully understand that suspense is what makes a good thriller, I suspect that Angoe was stalling. The book read like she needed to meet a word count as the main character ruminates on the same thoughts over and over and over again. Sure, there are lots of real people that are ruminators, but this character is annoying AF. She has no confidence, barley any self-esteem, and moves through her world berating herself obsessively so much so that I think a third of the book would be excised had the author merely cut the main character’s self-deprecation in half. The plot “twists” were incredibly predictable except when they didn’t make sense. There was one true surprise, but it was tangentially related to the plot. I mean, the book would have been essentially the same without it. I found the reading laborious and the “bad guy” unbelievable. And I’m disappointed. I absolutely loved the author’s first book, but I suspect she was always writing it until she published it. The books that have come in quick succession after have been increasingly disappointing.