First, there are TWO books with this title. The other one is by Kelly Bowen, pubbed April 2021. This one by Foley was pubbed Feb. 2022. Did each of them freak out a bit seeing each other's title? My bet is, Yes. Alas, you actually CAN have 2 books with the same title - unless the author copyrights the title. Question: is "catcher in the rye" copyrighted? Let's hope so.
"L" and I enjoyed this book. It was a suspenseful page turner. We really like that it's told with one main "strand" of story, versus the braided structure that bounces back & forth in time or person to person.
Jess is the protagonist whose brother Ben isn't at his apartment when she arrives, with minimal heads-up. Turns out, he's missing. In whodunit style, the reader keeps guessing...who dunit....all the way til the end.
There are some definite trip-ups in the story. Jess is a bit too brave, or more brave, than is believable at times. As the reader, I need to *feel* her bravery - or know more about her personality to know how it is that she could do some of the things she does.
As a writer, Foley's style includes cliches, which is lazy writing. "Beggars can't be choosers" was used THREE times." Even if Foley wants us to know that Jess 'thinks in cliches,' it's still...cliched writing and Foley's editor should have caught it (insisted it be changed).
Also, Foley likes the adverb, "suddenly." And it's used in situations that are anything but sudden. Eg, "Suddenly she felt unsafe. .." No. If you're tromping around in a darkened unfamiliar place, with questionable characters nearby, there's nothing "sudden" about feeling unsafe. Right? Right. Besides, Foley used this adverb two times within about five sentences, which really calls attention to its misuse.
Overall, L and I enjoyed this book. We both listened to the audio version; the British narrator was very good.
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