The paths of two strangers, Alice and Ruby, cross when Ruby discovers Alice’s body by the Hudson River and gets sucked into the mystery of her life and death.
I am an avid consumer of true crime content, especially podcasts, though what I enjoy them about them I am not quite sure I know. The shocking and sometimes absurd human drama? The reassuring fear that some people watch horror movies for? The emergence of heroes and the satisfaction of the perpetrators ultimately being put away?
But one thing I always look for in my true crime choices is respect for the victim, who can become overshadowed in the chaos that unfurls after they exit the scene. The reason why this suspense novel intrigued me, therefore, was how Alice Lee was placed front and center, a compelling character with a whole life she had already led and the potential of the brilliant life she could have led in the future. I also enjoyed the lush writing, the fluid dreaminess of the worlds that the characters inhabit.
However, while I liked Ruby well enough, I found her half of the story less compelling. I liked the way the author depicted the aftermath of discovering the victim of a murder, but at the point we met the Death Club I thought things in this storyline became a little too twee for my taste, with the characters unrealistically becoming immediately enmeshed in an intense friendship. At this point, the author’s tone tripped over from wise to overwrought, and the book never really regained its footing after that.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.
