whitneydaniell

Synopsis

The Hope family murders shocked the Maine coast one bloody night in 1929. While most people assume seventeen-year-old Lenora was responsible, the police were never able to prove it.

It’s now 1983, and home-health aide Kit McDeere arrives at a decaying Hope’s End to care for Lenora after her previous nurse fled in the middle of the night. One night, Lenora uses it to make a tantalizing offer—I want to tell you everything. But when new details about her predecessor’s departure come to light, Kit starts to suspect Lenora might not be telling the complete truth—and that the seemingly harmless woman in her care could be far more dangerous than she first thought.

I. Characters

So, we’re diving into Kit McDeere’s world, a young woman trying to pick up the pieces after losing her mom and having her life turned upside down. And guess what? Her new gig? Caregiver for Lenora Hope, the infamous lady suspected of offing her whole family.

Now, Kit, she’s a mix of annoying and wide-eyed innocence. I mean, within a day, she’s knee-deep in the whole Hope Family Murders drama, practically obsessing over it. By day two or three, she’s yelling at the house staff, freaking out about a mysterious typed page left in the typewriter. Chill, Kit, you just got here. But no, she’s not stopping there. A few days later, against Mrs. Baker’s wishes, she leaves Lenora outside to sprint through the house and up two flights of stairs just to snag a typewriter. Then she hauls it back down. Seriously? Cue my loud sigh.

She pretty much sums herself up with this gem:

When I got to Hope’s End, I threw myself into learning Lenora’s story because I was desperate to change my own pathetic existence by focusing on someone else’s.

Kitt, Chapter 35

Now, there’s a bunch of other quirky characters at Hope’s End, each one trying to throw you off the scent.

Mrs. Baker? I smelled something fishy from the get-go. Didn’t trust her “story” one bit, and it only took me until Chapter 35, page 250 to figure it out. Jessie? Well, she’s just there for some extra color, a bit of fluff. Carter, the wildcard, had me side-eyeing him for about 99.9% of the story. But that’s how he was written, right? Now, Archie? No threat at all. I was pretty sure he knew the secrets lurking in Hope’s End, but he wasn’t part of the murder circus.

And then there’s Detective Vick. Super annoying, just like Kit, and Mary, rounding up the murder mystery squad. Detective Vick in the billiards room, with a candlestick—classic whodunit.

II. Story / Plot

I’m a sucker for a good murder mystery, and this one didn’t completely let me down. It did take a sweet time to kick into gear and lay the groundwork for the big reveal, but the letters from Lenora managed to keep the slow parts from dragging too much.

So, like I mentioned earlier, I had sort of cracked the mystery’s code by page 250. From there on, I was just hanging on for the ‘why.’ But man, the ending? It felt like a deflated balloon. If that part had a bit more oomph, I’d easily slap a 5-star rating on this book. But nope, it just kinda ended, like a wave swept in and wiped everything clean, and some characters got wrapped up in a single sentence. Talk about an anticlimax.

And seriously, how on earth hasn’t the local code enforcement shut down Hope’s End? That place is practically a poster child for code violations!

III. The Writing

I felt like this story had a bit too many words for my taste. Most chapters seemed to pack in about 45% more words than needed. Sure, there were loads of descriptive words, and the dialogue felt authentic, or at least what I’d imagine for the early ’80s.

Even though I enjoyed Lenora’s typed story, I couldn’t help but wish for a split-timeline narrative. It would’ve been cool to get chapters from both Lenora and Kitt because while the letters added context, I wanted some of those extra words to propel the story forward. But hey, overall, I’m a fan of Riley Sager’s writing.

IV. My Final Thoughts

Good read. It could have been a quick, one-day read, but I paced myself by reading 100 pages a day — I’m getting back into the swing of things after having not read a book since early October. I will certainly pick up another Riley Sager book, I enjoy his writing and his brand of mystery/thriller.

If murder mysteries are your thing and like me, you have not reached the level of James Patterson books yet, pick up this one and The House Across from the Lake.