I honestly have no idea how to review this book, not only mystery/thriller is not my usual read or books that I review, I genuinely think that anything I say can be considered a spoiler for a book like this. I’ll keep this review brief, try to go into this one as blind as possible like I did, it will enrich your experience. I’m going to mention parts that work and didn’t work for me as spoiler-free as possible in the next two paragraphs but feel free to skip reading them if you’re already interested in this book.
Let’s start with the parts that work first. This is a debut and it’s a very smart book, consisting of a well-structured storyline with everything coming together in the last 20% of the book. The execution of the conclusion was superbly done and unpredictable. Just when you thought you had everything figured out, Turton keeps you surprised and engaged with revelations. It’s a slow burn but very engaging, I finished this book two days due to how unputdownable it was. I also think the side characters were well developed, especially considering the storytelling method. Prose-wise, this doesn’t feel like a debut at all, Turton’s prose is beautiful, sometimes it felt like reading a literature book.
“How lost do you have to be to let the devil lead you home?”
For the parts that didn’t work, I think the main character’s background should’ve come sooner in the story. It was too late for me to really care about his predicament, I have no idea if this is the usual case with mystery/thriller books though. I enjoyed reading the way the story unfolds but I wish I cared more about the main character. One of the decisions made by the main character near the end of the book also need more exposition, it didn’t sit well with me no matter how I look at it. Lastly, the book went on for a bit too long, there was one part in the middle section, specifically Day 6 chapters, where I was super bored and fell asleep.
That’s all. Believe me, this is shorter than my usual reviews and it’s for many good reasons. Bottom line is that If you’re a fan of mystery/thriller book, you really should give this debut a try.
