Brief description: Daniel Richardson and his best friend, Hugh Ashley-Hunt, both rising British actors, are in love with the same woman, the free-spirited Tamsyn Burke. Reluctantly, Daniel steps aside when Tamsyn decides to marry Hugh. Shortly before the wedding, however, she's murdered, and suspicion falls on the family, friends, and associates present.
Most of the novel is told from Daniel's POV. His grief and confusion evident as he tries to process Tamsyn's death. Daniel feels the loss acutely--for himself and for his best friend Hugh, the man Tamsyn was going to marry.
Reluctantly, Daniel joins forces with Tamsyn's sister Carey in an effort to discover who could have killed Tamsyn. Was Tamsyn the free-spirit she appeared to be? How well do we know even friends and family? How do events in the past influence the future?
Julia Thomas allows things to percolate slowly as Daniel attempts to distill his memories of his relationship with Tamsyn and then to incorporate information he learns when he accompanies Carey to Wales to visit Tamsyn's family.
Thomas has done a fine job in creating her characters and in building a complex plot, giving away just enough to keep you wondering if your suspicions are correct. I look forward to more from Julia Thomas.
Read in February. Blog review scheduled for June 21, 2016.
NetGalley/Midnight Ink
Mystery/Crime. July 8, 2016. Print version: 360 pages.
I like the cover!
ReplyDeleteI like the cover, too! And I liked the book! :)
DeleteIt's always fun to see stories like this come together as the layers unravel. I will have to check this one out.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the way Thomas lets the story develop and examines the effect of Tamsyn's death of the various characters. Layers is an apt description, Wendy!
DeleteThis sounds very interesting and I like that atmospheric cover. Will be checking this out!
ReplyDeleteThe cover is atmospheric, isn't it? I'm so easily intrigued by a cover!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds terrific. I am intrigued by stories that explore the difficulty of truly knowing another person.
ReplyDeleteEven when you have known someone for years, there are always elements that are unknowable. Often we don't even know ourselves until confronted with certain situations. It was an intriguing book.
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