But this wasn't an edge-of-my-seat kind of read, despite the eeriness of the plot and setting. Instead, it focuses on Hannah who isn't an easy person to like. She's abrupt, immature and self-centred so with only her POV, it made for a good unreliable narrator, but sometimes a frustrating read. The mystery lost its initial momentum when the plot became repetitive and the pacing choppy. I also think things got more complicated than they had to be - the plot, Hannah's issues and one location (the basement) I still cannot envision. It didn't make sense to me why any basement would be set up like that.
The tension and pacing pick up towards the end as the pieces fall into place and I was eager for a big twist! But the ending left me confused with its unresolved issues and more questions than answers. Definitely not the satisfying conclusion I had been anticipating.
If you're reading this for its eerie atmosphere, dysfunctional family dynamic featuring an unreliable narrator, then you're in for a treat. But if you're looking for a riveting suspense read that has twists and a satisfying ending that resolves all of the threads of the story, then this book will not tick all the boxes.
Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to the publisher for providing me with a complimentary digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
My Rating: 3 stars
Author: Kate Moretti
Genre: Suspense
Type and Source: eBook from NetGalley
Publisher: Thomas and Mercer
First Published: November 1, 2020
Opening Line: September 2, 2001 -- I didn't mean to kill the girl.
Book Description from GoodReads: Haunted by her sister’s disappearance, a troubled woman becomes consumed by past secrets in this gripping thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of The Vanishing Year.
When Hannah Maloney’s aunt dies in a car accident, she returns to her family’s castle in the Catskills and the epicenter of a childhood trauma: her sister’s unsolved disappearance. It’s been seventeen years, and though desperate to start a new life with her fiancé, Hannah is compelled to question the events of her last summer at Brackenhill.
When a human bone is found near the estate, Hannah is convinced it belongs to her long-lost sister. She launches her own investigation into that magical summer that ended in a nightmare. As strange happenings plague the castle, Hannah uncovers disturbing details about the past and startling realizations about her own repressed childhood memories.
Fueled by guilt over her sister’s vanishing, Hannah becomes obsessed with discovering what happened all those years ago, but by the time Hannah realizes some mysteries are best left buried, it’s too late to stop digging. Overwhelmed by what she has exposed, Hannah isn’t sure her new life can survive her old ghosts.
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