I picked this up from my local library because so many people online have been writing about it.  The title of the book at first made me think that it was a YA novel so that is why I initially had no interest in it, but it is very definitely  adult fiction, a thriller actually.

The story is about a wife who goes unexpectedly missing.   The story is told from the husband’s point of view, from diary pages of the missing wife and  finally from the wife’s current point of view.  The author builds suspense well and although I had some things figured out I definitely did not have everything right.  There is some misdirection and use of an “unreliable narrator” in places, although perhaps I misuse the term since it is more about deliberate deception than a normal unreliable narrator.   The book has a few slow moments but  overall it is a real page turner.  I finished it in one sitting,anxious to get to the end.

The interesting aspect of this book is that none of the main characters are really likable, at all, not even a little bit, and yet the book still engaged me and kept my attention.  I wanted to know how it ended.  This is really unusual for me, I tend to be character-centric and if I don’t find a character I like or can relate to in a book, I generally don’t enjoy it.  That was definitely not the case here.  I don’t want to say much more because I am afraid of giving something away.  This is a time that a book lives up to the hype .

Another book I picked up from the library.  I didn’t know anything about it, just grabbed it based on the cover :).

I really enjoyed it.  For Better, For Murder  is the first in a Broken Vows mystery series.  The theme of the this book is not weddings, as I thought from the cover art and title, but rather a high end car dealer.  The lead character, Jolene, inherited the business from her father.  Her estranged husband is a local deputy and her sister Erica is a mental patient, in and out of institutions.  In addition, there are various other townspeople, an employee and customers to round out the cast of characters.  The mystery was well crafted, I didn’t guess the murderer before the reveal.

The writer crafted the story well and created  tension that kept me turning the pages.  The depiction of the issues that face a small business owner were more realistic than often portrayed in cozies.  The romantic subplot was well done and not the usual love triangle, and is the source of the title.   The main character, Jolene, is likable and not over the top in any aspect of her personality.  She has flaws, but that just makes her more realistic.  I will put the next ones in this series on my to-be-read list.