For The Best

For The Best is a slow burn, darker read about a CEO who finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation of a well-known advocate of restorative justice. The story is told using the POV of the main character Jules, who is an unreliable narrator due to her alcohol addiction. 

The story has a bit of an insular feel to it because it has only a handful of characters and a limited number of settings. Readers are tempted to keep turning the pages with an interesting premise, a few well-placed red herrings and Jules' unreliable narration. 

But while I enjoyed the brief look at restorative justice, I didn't connect with the book as much as I would have liked. My main issue is Jules. She's a hard character to like due to her repeated indulgence of her obviously crippling demons, her sense of entitlement and her selfish, unpleasant personality. And since the only POV is Jules', readers are stuck in her booze-influenced view of things which is equally frustrating and depressing. I love complicated main characters and I don't feel that I have to like them, but I don't enjoy a book if they're completely off-putting. I would have liked to understand Jules better, particularly more focus on her addiction, her husband's obvious enabling of her demons, and how that toxic home life affected their young son. I felt for wee Fitz.

Overall, this was a quick read with an interesting but brief social commentary on restorative justice, enough twists to keep me engaged and a twist at the end that I didn't see coming. But I would have enjoyed it more with better developed characters and POVs from the people around Jules.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Thomas and Mercer for my advanced digital 

copy of this title via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 3 stars

Author: Vanessa Lillie

Genre: Suspense

Type and Source: eBook from NetGalley

Publisher: Thomas and Mercer

First Published: September 8, 2020

Opening Line: I don't like to sleep naked, but 

"Drunk Me" doesn't negotiate.

Book Description from GoodReads: Suspected of a murder she can’t remember, a troubled woman takes an unusual approach to proving her innocence in this gripping thriller from the bestselling author of Little Voices.

When Jules Worthington-Smith’s wallet is found next to a dead man, she becomes the prime suspect in his murder. After struggling for years to build the perfect family and career, she’s dangerously close to losing everything.

Sure of her innocence, Jules is desperate to clear her name. But there’s one big problem: she was blackout drunk when the murder took place and can’t remember what happened.

Unsatisfied with the police’s handling of the case, Jules embarks on her own gin-fueled murder investigation. As she uncovers fresh clues, she starts a true-crime vlog that becomes a viral sensation, pushing her into the public eye. It’s not long before the ordeal forces Jules to confront her demons, including her turbulent childhood and excessive drinking.

The deeper Jules digs, the more dirt she uncovers about the murder and herself. Unexpected truths pile up until she’s buried so deep even finding the killer might not be enough to set her free.