"A nail-biting novel of domestic suspense from a best-selling author - When Morgan Adair arrives at the small seaside town of West Briar on the Long Island shore, she is looking forward to attending the baptism of her new godson, Drew. Morgan and Drew's mother, Claire, have been friends since childhood, and Morgan was delighted when Claire married the handsome Guy Bolton. But a few days after the christening, Morgan receives a devastating phone call from her friend..." - Taken from Amazon's product description.
So this 2009 novel is basically self explanatory, woman is accused of murdering her newborn baby and husband, but her best friend is convinced she is innocent and plays detective to investigate further.
Without spoiling too much, I thought the description of the setting and characters was great but the dialogue was incredibly painful as a literature student. It gave off amateur writer vibes - which I have absolutely nothing against, I just find it harder to enjoy when the writing isn't consistent in fluency - however, MacDonald's knowledge of law was impressive and definitely showed.
Some of the occurrences I found implausible; the whole crime scene would be blocked off and certainly no one would be allowed to sleep there until it had been completely scrubbed down which wouldn't happen for a good few days. HOWEVER...they did get a confession so I guess I can let that one slide. The protagonist really annoyed me, and her relationship with the love interest kinda popped up out of the blue but I enjoyed it because I'm a sucker for a lil romance.
I LOVED the plot twist! It took me a month to get half way through and then I finished the second half in a day. I was on the edge of my seat the whole day, trying to figure out the truth - I did not see it coming but I had an inkling. Whenever I told people I was reading this, they looked at me horrified I would find any pleasure in this, but that is why I love crime and thrillers. This book started off quite slow, and the started picking up as the protagonist, Morgan, got closer to the truth.
[Warning: Spoilers Ahead!]
I guess there isn't much to say about this one other than how much I loved the twist. Then ending was a bit implausible and the beginning was rather slow - more to the point, in an optimistic view; Claire has been accused of murdering her child and husband and Morgan is trying to sort out a good attorney for her for a good half of the book. The end definitely made up for the beginning, I honestly thought we were going to find out that it really was Claire who killed them but the twist was executed well enough to save it. I was so close to giving this book one star but getting to the end was worth the wait.
I thought Claire going to England with Morgan at the end - six months after the deaths of two people she loved - was strange and it all felt a bit rushed. I cannot speak as a mother of course, but for me it was a bit odd. I loved Fitz saving Morgan from Astrid, gave me goosebumps - hopefully I am never in that exact position, but I do hope someone would love me enough to risk their life for me one day!
So, three stars goes to this book; one for its awesome plot twist, another its lovely descriptions - I felt like the dialogue was a bit pointless sometimes, and that the narrative could have used without it in some places - and the final star for the thrill! Thrillers are my go-to books and this was definitely worth the hard work getting through the first half.
★★★☆☆
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