I received this book at my local but now defunct Book Store back in 2015 at our "Christmas Party Iceland Book Swap". That was great fun and I really miss my book club friends from the past. That said... I finally put this on the short list to read and got to it this year...however it became somewhat of a torture to finish. I never got invested in any of the characters. There were teasers throughout pinning the murder on every male in the book, but NONE of the males who were the suspects were developed to get to know them, despite small chapters devoted to the thoughts of the murderer..The ending was a really a farfetched scene leaving little redemption to the work. I am surprised I finished it, but did so for the sake of finishing, not because I cared at all for the characters. Not on my list of best for the year of reads! ( )

Everyone was panic-buying and I was jealous and thought I’d have a panic-read instead. I didn’t want to be stuck in the house with something nasty and be in the middle of heavy non-fiction. I didn’t get ill, but I did enjoy this book.

It’s main theme is the past. There’s been a murder and various other shenanigans and their implications have not yet played out. The novel’s in the present tense so there’s a real sense of immediacy as reader and narrator hurtle towards a confrontation you know must come.

It’s not without flaws. I found the inserts from the killer’s diary unconvincing; and there’s a ridiculous scene where it turns out that a detective agency keeps their clients’ personal details just laying about for anyone to read.

What I think really makes the book work is how normal and unexceptional the narrator is. You might say dull, but it’s that grounding in a suburban mind that let me make allowances for anything far-fetched.

I managed to guess the killer, but there are plenty of good red-herrings along the way. ( )

This book kept me guessing the whole time!! Every time i thought that I knew who the culprit was, I guessed wrong. I listened to the audio book version of this, and at times, I almost forgot that I was driving. The characters were well rounded, believable and most of all, kept me guessing. I can't wait to read more by Sophie. Great job Sophie McKenzie!!

Great book! ( )

Unfortunately I didn't find this book as thrilling as I expected it to be. While the basic plot is a good one, the way that the novel develops is actually quite slow and at times I though quite ridiculous.

The book essentially follows Livy in her search to find out who is responsible for the death of her friend Julia. While the official verdict is suicide, she is convinced that it was murder and that it is linked to the murder of her sister years earlier. Her search is complicated by the fact that her own marriage is under strain, not helped by the possible implication of her own husband as the guilty party. Essentially her problem is as the title suggests is knowing who she can trust.

It also appears that despite Julia being her best friend, she is also not necessarily the person Livy thought she was, as her search throws up conflicting versions Julia, who is only ever seen through the eyes of other people.

As well as following Livy on her search, the murderer also offers us chapters detailing his previous exploits. Read past his first chapter if you can't cope with cruelty to animals, and further on he has no compunction about also killing the young daughter of another victim, something I personally found distasteful.

With regard to Livy I found her character quite annoying, at times quite weak and needy and others headstrong to the point of stupidity. For someone looking for a violent killer, I found her ability not to question some of her actions and happily go into the unknown pretty stupid and unbelievable.

That said, I was interested enough to want to find out who the guilty party was and didn't actually guess until quite late on. It's not a bad book, but I think there are better psychological thrillers with more engaging characters.

I received a free copy of this title via Netgalley in return for an honest review.




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