Carol L. Ochadleus

It took me almost two months to finish this book, but the fault lies with me, not with the book. It is a quick read, but that is neither a criticism nor a shortcoming of the book or its author; not every work of fiction should require high levels of mental exertion to keep up with the plot.

I began it at the start of my final semester of grad school, the week before I took over the full-time portion of my student teaching. I was but a short way into the book when I no longer had time for any reading but what my teaching and my own schooling required. Once the heaviest portion of the semester was behind me, I finished the book in two evenings. After six weeks of teaching a close-reading of “Hamlet” — a play I dearly love — to multiple classes of AP Lit seniors, this book is exactly what my brain needed to unwind.

There is deception, intrigue, murder and mystery within this tale. There is even a bit of the supernatural—an element I sometimes find to be overdone and distracting, but it worked with the selected character in this case — although she did not feel/sound Welsh, as intended. (Irish, maybe, or even a touch Scottish, but not Welsh.) It’s not a spoiler to say that the main character experiences a loss of memory, as that is disclosed on the back cover of the book. This character was well-developed; I felt myself able to connect with the myriad of emotions he experienced over the course of the novel: grief, confusion, loneliness, and heartbreak. Although I somewhat expected the conclusion, the way in which it unfolded kept me just uncertain enough that it kept my interest.

I received this as an Advance Reader’s Copy and appreciated the chance to read it an offer a review. Was the book enjoyable? Definitely. Was it flawless? No. But not in overtly distracting ways. The terrorist angle (particularly the dialogue) was occasionally a bit cliche, and I did feel the off-hand reference one character was allowed to make to the events of 9/11 felt callous, even 18 years after the fact. (I do realize this was part of who that character was, but it still hit me the wrong way.) There were a few gaps in the wrap-up of that thread to the storyline as well, but it, in and of itself, was never exactly the central focus of the story (though it played an admittedly large role in the conflict of the story), so I forgave the too-easy resolution. Some more attention here would have been nice, though, especially with regard to the victims of the events, as Matt was plagued by visions of the possible effects early on in his memory loss.

I did not realize until the end of the book (when I encountered the opening chapter to the author’s upcoming novel, due out in early 2021), that there would be a continuation of any of these characters. It appears the focus will shift from Matt to another character, and while the chosen character was not my favorite from this novel, I wonder if that was intended — and I am curious to see if the author manages to redeem him in my eyes in her next outing. It appears from the first chapter that she just might...… (more)

First off, my apologies for posting this review late.

For the most part, I enjoyed this novel. It's a mix of romance, family dynamics, espionage with terrorism and a touch of the supernatural. The story kept me interested, although I found some parts anti-climactic, such as the defeat of the terrorists as well as Matt and Kate's reunion. I wish there were more satisfying details added to these two main conflicts. I felt some parts were too straight to the point and at times too brisk. I did enjoy the story overall and look forward to reading more books from this author.

Thank you to LibraryThing and Zimbell House Publishing for my review copy.… (more)