WORDS: Dave Bradley, Arts Reviewer
Kent-residing Marshall’s fourth bestselling psychodramatic thriller is yet another chronologically tricky tale that bounces about between a series of slightly unreliable narrators, any of whom might – or might not – be responsible for the death of protagonist Liz’s rather dull husband Andrew.
We open at Andrew’s funeral, with the traumatised Liz holding her two young sons close and emotionally supported by her longtime besties Poppy, Trina and Saffie, a trio that seems so trustworthy… or, you know, are they?
Liz makes a shocking discovery that evening, which causes the plot to flash back to a fancy holiday everyone took three months earlier at the Villa Rosa on the Amalfi Coast, and all the characters are then allowed chapters where their particular perspectives are made clear. It’s oh-so-very obvious that we’re building to something that you supposedly won’t expect, but it’s unfortunately right there for you to see early on, with a big twist significantly less well-hidden than those in Marshall’s previous outings Friend Request, Three Little Lies and The Anniversary.
Although too drawn-out, overstuffed with talk and populated with unpleasant types, it’s this easily-picked secret that most seriously spoils things here, and leaves you hoping that Marshall might make the killer in her next book be a bit less glaringly guessable.
RRP $32.99, Hachette: Sphere
