Review by Booklist Review
Logician turned stay-at-home-mom Alice and wealthy gallery owner Kat develop an unlikely friendship after bonding over a delayed flight. Three years later, their bonding has shifted to commiserating over marital woes. Kat's husband, Howard, is an alcoholic and a serial philanderer. Alice's husband hid his job loss for months, violating Alice's trust and sinking them into financial distress. Both marriages are rocky, but Kat's meets a shocking end when Howard plunges from the roof of their Jupiter Island, Florida, mansion while she's away on a business trip. Kat is certain Howard's death was a drunken accident until detectives appear at her door stating that a witness saw a woman push Howard. And Kat (who has ignored Alice's calls since Howard's death) has identified Alice as one of only two people with unrestricted access to the house. Suddenly, Kat finds herself pitted against one of the country's most powerful families as she searches for the truth about her friendship and Howard's murder. A staccato-paced frenemy thriller with a wicked twist.--Tran, Christine Copyright 2017 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
At the start of Hunt's solid debut, two Jupiter, Fla., police detectives arrive at the home of Alice Campbell, the tale's unreliable narrator, to question her about the death of Howard Grant, her best friend Kat's financier husband. Three days earlier, Howard, an alcoholic and adulterer, fell from the second-story balcony of his and Kat's mansion on upscale Jupiter Island. The police, who don't think Howard jumped, interview Alice about her three-year friendship with Kat. Flashbacks chart Alice and Kat's chance meeting at Kennedy Airport, Alice's financial troubles, Kat's broken marriage, and Kat's sister-in-law's warning to Alice that Kat uses people and discards them. Despite the unlikely pairing-the struggling suburbanite and the wealthy socialite-their relationship endures, until Alice's arrest for Howard's murder. The action builds to a huge reveal that leaves the reader wondering which of the two women is more twisted. Fans of psychological thrillers will be well satisfied. Agent: Ethan Ellenberg, Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Best friends Kat Grant and Alice Campbell first met during a particularly trying wait for a flight home. Several years have passed, and the two have very little in common, but they remain steadfast friends who share long lunches and weekends away. When Kat's husband, Howard, falls to his death from the second-floor balcony of their mansion, police turn to the women for answers. But who is telling the truth? Hunt, the pseudonym of a best-selling author, jumps back in forth in time between important moments in the relationship of the two women and the present day, and it's a testament to her writing that this never becomes confusing or slows the pace. Less successful is the dialog, which often feels rather clunky. Still, readers who love a good twisty ending will be thrilled by this one: it's a doozy. Verdict While not entirely successful here, Hunt gets enough right in her debut psychological thriller that readers will look forward to her next effort.-Liz Kirchhoff, Barrington Area Lib., IL © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
How well do you know your closest friend?Alice Campbell and Kat Grant met three years ago waiting for a delayed plane back to their small Florida town and have been inseparable ever since. Despite the differences in their lifestylesKat owns an art gallery and comes from money, while Alice is a former math professor-turned-children's author with two school-age kids and ever increasing debtsthey have an unbreakable bond forged through secrets shared during boozy lunches. Or so Alice thought. But when Kat's boorish husband falls from their balcony one night, the police come knocking at Alice's door, and suddenly, Kat goes dark, not returning texts or calls and actively avoiding Alice. The book skips back and forth in time from the present day to different points in Kat and Alice's relationship, revealing how they got so close and pointing out flaws in a supposedly perfect friendship. Seemingly innocuous moments from the past get reframed as new information comes out, and Alice tries to decipher what exactly she means to Kat. The time transitions, which could have been clunky, flow into each other and provide almost constant cliffhangers. The whole narrative constantly pushes forward, asking readers to question every conclusion and warning them to never completely trust anyone. It helps that the characters are well-drawn, speaking easily for themselves and standing out as unique people who feel real. While the novel never quite hits the high point it's hinting at, skittering to a conclusion, the striking last few pages make up for a weak climax and would reward a reread.Hunt's thriller races toward a lackluster conclusion but offers interesting characters and a twisting plot. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
