Starred review from September 1, 2019
Departing from her Anderson and Costello series, Ramsay offers an eerie, offbeat gothic thriller set in modern-day Scotland. The Melvicks, one of the country's richest families, are cursed. Several Melvick ancestors have committed suicide; the wife of current patriarch, Ivan, has run away; Melissa, the older daughter and beauty of the family, is a famous actress, but her neuroses have led to serious problems; and Megan, the unseen daughter, is deaf and friendless, with mental issues. But when Megan meets Carla, the daughter of her father's gardener, the two form an unlikely friendship. Carla's mother, Deb, has been a drunk and a drug addict, but then she seems to turn a corner, bringing Carla back to the village and even becoming Ivan's housekeeper. But just when things seem to be settling down for the family, a tragedy threatens to destroy them once again. The story switches between Megan's and Carla's points of view, making it difficult to guess what has really happened, what paranoia is lurking behind the girls' stories, and what dark Melvick secrets are still to be revealed. A skilfully written thriller with a palpable sense of dread and disaster that will grab readers from the first page through to the shocking conclusion.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)
September 1, 2018
Readers unfamiliar with The Suffering of Strangers (2018), the previous installment in Ramsay's excellent series, may initially find references to events that happened in that book confusing, but if they stick with the story, they'll find that Ramsay has once again produced a chilling, can't-put-it-down read. Policewoman Costello found the bloodied bodies of Abigail Haggerty and her teenage son, Malcolm, both of whom Costello had been trying to rescue from husband and father George, who she was convinced was going to kill them. But to Costello's frustration, Haggerty had an iron-clad alibi for the time his family died. Costello is positive George is the killer, but her superiors think she should drop the case. So sure is she of George's guilt that she goes AWOL to uncover the truth. More deaths follow as Costello continues to dig. Help comes from an unexpected quarter?Abigail Haggerty's alcoholic sister, Valerie?just in time to save Costello. Another suspenseful read in a consistently gripping series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)