S U M M A R Y 

Melissa Byatt comes home from work on her bike to find her husband on the kitchen floor, bleeding from a stab wound. Their three children stand around him and the knife, eerily calm. Then, before the ambulance gets there, the knife disappears. Melissa is left with the horrified thought that one of her children stabbed their father. In a panic, she lies about the knife to the police, intent on finding out what is going on with her family.

C H A R A C T E R S

I found them rather inconsistent, to be perfectly honest. Melissa was very much a pendulum of emotion, swinging every which way and not always in a way that makes sense. Also, I felt her characterization was inconsistent. She grew up in the woods, but showed no signs of sensible woodcraft or knowledge - the flashlight, running around, etc. I also liked the glimpses into the one girl's head, but after a certain point those just stopped so it felt rather contrived. 

 P L O T 

Also a bit inconsistent, a few holes here and there. I felt like it could have overall used another edit. It did a good job with the pacing and tension, but there was a like of smooth subtlety, for lack of a better description. 

N A R R A T I O N 

A good job! Enjoyed the performance. 

 O V E R A L L 

A decent thriller but not great. Probably better for beginner thriller readers. This isn't a bad book, just a solid read that entertained.