Nora was looking forward to visiting her sister. It had been a while since they had seen each other, and Nora is excited to tell Rachel about the artist’s residency she has received starting in the middle of January. Rachel will be happy for her and they will celebrate.  They also need to plan their summer trip Cornwall. Nora is looking forward to Rachel’s cooking, her warm house  and dog and the back yard that is so open. It will be good to be together again.

When Nora gets off the train she expects Rachel to be there in her car to pick her up. but she isn’t. So Nora begins the walk to Rachel’s house imagining that Rachel must have made a last minute run to the store, or forgot the time. But when she gets to the house, Rachel’s car is there. Nora realizes that something is terribly wrong as soon as she opens the door. There is blood, Rachel’s dog hanging from its leash and more blood on the stairs, and then Rachel’s body. Something was terribly wrong, and Nora could do nothing to change it.

The police begin their investigation at first suspecting Nora herself, but once they establish her alibi the case grinds to a halt. There are no suspects, there is no evidence, there is nothing. But Nora is not satisfied and so she moves into Rachel’s house, gives up her artist’s residency and is determined to find out who did this and why.  Nora knows that there is one person who might have a motive. It was something that happened in the past, but Rachel had never given up looking for the person who did it so she could bring him to justice.

Winner of the 2017 Edgar Award, this book has been billed as the next Gone Girl or Girl on the Train. Although there are similarities since all these books are about women who are in desparate straits, there are real differences, too. Berry has created a story about the two sisters who grew up with an alcoholic father and have had a complicated relationship. The secret they carry from their past has caused additional friction between them because while one cannot let it go and the other wants nothing more that to just forget about it because of the guilt she feels for not being with her sister when it happened. So unlike the other books where you have the artifice of unreliable narrators, this book carries a sense of immediacy and honesty that draws you in. Gripping and harrowing, this is a book that you cannot put down until you get to the final page!

Brenda’s Rating: *****(5 out of 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to: Marian, Sharon and Keith

Book Study Worthy: yes

Read in ebook format.