Plot Summary
Inspired by Hitchcock’s, Strangers on a Train, two women from New York make a fateful decision to kill for each other. Amanda and Wendy are the New Yorkers who meet in a support group for victims of terrible loss. While others in the group discuss forgiveness for those who have wronged their families, Wendy and Amanda want for not only revenge but for the possibility of preventing the same atrocities from being enacted on others. In another part of the City, Ruth is violently attacked by a serial killer known to the police as Mr. Blue Eyes.
Initial Thoughts
While reading this novel, I admit there were mixed feelings regarding the author’s ability to write believable characters. By the end of the novel, I finally understood that some of my initial feelings may have been misguided, although not all of them. Amanda and Ruth seem to be the primary focus characters in this eventful narrative, with Wendy, Scott (Ruth’s husband) and Farrow (a detective) as the supporting or secondary characters. It feels as if the most eventful chapters are those that discuss Amanda’s and Ruth’s situations. Chapters alternate between various points of view without requiring the reader to relive the same event through different eyes. Because of this, the reader is expected to understand that the events of each chapter are the point of view of the character whom the chapter is about and, hence, the information presented in the chapter may or may not be trustworthy.
...this was one of the most unpredictable books I've read recently
Throughout this novel, I found myself making guesses as to what would happen either within the next few chapters or by the conclusion of the story. Several times, I was correct in my thinking and felt that this book was predictable. However, I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by the conclusion and that some of my preconceptions were incorrect. In fact, this was one of the most unpredictable books I’ve read recently, and I decided to increase my rating from 3.5 to 4 stars because of my fascination with the ending. While some of the characters and their stories were unsatisfying, especially with their level of intelligence, I also understand that this was likely the author’s intent. Some of the foolish actions of various characters led to extremely suspenseful moments, so I cannot fault the author for this setup.
Final Thoughts
While this was not a 5-star read for me, I also could not bring myself to rate it 3 stars. I rarely rate anything I read as fewer than 3 stars because I reserve 2 stars for “did not enjoy” and 1 star for “was absolutely horrendous”. At first, this novel was a solid 3.5 due to its cast of unintelligent characters that felt intentionally dense to put them in the situations we find them in. However, by the end of the novel, I was thoroughly impressed by the reveal and had to reevaluate how much I enjoyed the process of reading this book. Being that this was such a fun read despite its minor flaws and some of its major flaws – which I cannot get into without spoiling the story – it only felt right to increase the rating to a solid 4 stars.
If you are looking for a fun, quick read with short chapters that advance the plot without a single lull, this is the book for you. If you feel the need to read a book that is 100% believable with a cast of highly intelligent characters, this is probably not the book for you. I personally prefer novels that feel mostly believable, and while this did not hit the mark for me, its entertainment factor made up for the lack of intelligent characters and some of the flawed narrative to conveniently advance the story to where it was headed.
If you’ve read Kill For Me, Kill For You and would like to discover similar reads, join the Thriller Lovers Book Club moderated by Sydney (@sydneyyybooks) on Fable, which is where I discovered this thriller. Another Fable club I’m a personal fan of is On A Dark Dark Shelf, moderated by Onadarkdarkshelf (@onadarkdarkshelf). Check out my review of The Last One, by Will Dean, which we are almost done wrapping up in On A Dark Dark Shelf’s Fable club.
Fable is a great app where you can join virtual book clubs, moderate your own, and have discussions with other book lovers. Fable has recently launched into TV Series as well, so when you’re in a reading rut, you can binge and discuss your favorite streaming series. I highly recommend this app for discussing books with others as you read. It adds another dimension to the reading experience, increasing its enjoyment for those that don’t have in-person book clubs for which they are able to participate.
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