Twelve-year-old Sophie and her mother, Amelia-Rose, move to London from Massachusetts where they meet the charismatic Matty Melgren, who quickly becomes an intrinsic part of their lives. But as the relationship between the two adults fractures, a serial killer begins targeting young women with a striking resemblance to Amelia-Rose.
When Matty is eventually sent down for multiple murder, questions remain as to his guilt — questions which ultimately destroy both women. Nearly twenty years later, Sophie receives a letter from Battlemouth Prison informing her Matty is dying and wants to meet. It looks like Sophie might finally get the answers she craves. But will the truth set her free — or bury her deeper?
My thoughts: this is a clever, complex and interesting book with a fascinating concept – Sophie’s father figure turned out to be a serial killer, she’s spent her whole life trying to understand why he did it. She talks to her mother but gets no answers there, would finally confronting the dying Matty resolve things?
I really enjoyed the author’s Ziba Mackenzie books, and I was excited to read this, her writing is accessible and the book’s premise unfolds nicely. Sophie is an intriguing protagonist – guilty by association, even though she was a child and had no idea what was going on. She’s piecing the clues together though, fragmented memories and newspaper inches. An intelligent and engaging read.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
ramblingmads 