Mrs. Reads

      On Goodreads and elsewhere I repeatedly read that I would be shocked by the final page. I kept myself from flipping (scrolling) ahead to that page, and found that I was shocked far before the last page; I believe it was about 10 pages from the end. Perhaps everyone was exaggerating about the "last page."

Anyway.

A confirmed Anglophile, I usually enjoy books set in the British Isles. That this one took place in London and surrounding areas certainly made me happy. The protagonist left England years ago and has assimilated to the New York way of life; this leads to fun mocking of American English phrases as compared to British English phrases. 

The writing in general seems good enough. I was caught up in the story and the characters which lead me to pay less attention to the way the story was crafted. I read it thoroughly in one day (I read quickly, but made sure I read every word, as sometimes I have a habit of skim-reading) and was drawn in to the mystery. I should say mysteries, because there is Tess, the sister's, disappearance and subsequent death to unravel, and then there is the mystery of Beatrice's entire character and life. I was more interested in figuring out what made Beatrice tick than in finding out who (maybe) offed Tess. I figured out the villain before the climax, but the story was amping up so well, with promises of more payoff than just "whodunit," that I didn't mind at all.

In the end, the mystery of Tess is answered, but the path of Beatrice and how her life will be now is left to the imagination of the reader, which is maddening but still satisfies.