Charlotte’s life should be perfect. She’s married to a wealthy, loving man and she’s just discovered she’s pregnant. Her husband Paul is overjoyed to hear the news. They celebrate, go to bed… and the following morning, Charlotte wakes to an empty bed and the most horrifying possible surprise, a dead woman floating underneath their boat dock.
Secrets, lies and alibis: Charlotte wants to believe in Paul, but something doesn’t add up. Fiercely loyal, when the police start looking at her brother Chet for the murder, there’s no way Charlotte’s going to sit back quietly and let her brother take the fall, no matter what she discovers.
The suspense builds slowly, and it’s really never quite certain until the end who has done what, little pieces of the mystery being doled out sparingly. Though I had my suspicions, there was still enough doubt up until the end to keep things interesting. The problem I had was that things are just too slow. I liked Charlotte, felt a great deal of sympathy for her, especially as her tough upbringing was revealed, but I never really felt like we got to know the person she was now. We don’t know her likes and dislikes beyond the big things. She’s a cipher, one who sets herself up as judge of right and wrong, and we don’t see deep enough into her heart to know if she’s righteous enough to do that.
I enjoyed this but honestly, as a psychological thriller it’s just a little too slow. I’ll give it four stars.
Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this title via NetGalley.