*** Minor spoilers ***
I really wanted to like this book. The blurb on the back/premise of the book sounded so promising. I really liked (and still like) the idea/storyline.
Unfortunately, my interest in the plot and the case per se was the only thing that stayed throughout the book. Well, this and the fact that I like the author’s style of writing.
In my opinion, the pacing was just off. There’s too little happening for too long and it felt like this book was just setting the tone for what’s to come which, as I see it, isn’t what the first book of a series should do. Granted, we need to get to know the characters first but that’s not what I’m talking about because I normally really enjoy reading about character development, etc.
With this story, it just felt like the information were spoon fed and dumped on the reader. Rather than the author taking us on a journey to finding clues and making descoveries. Ultimately, I didn’t even connect with the characters which is a shame. I didn’t really care for what happened to them individually. And although I wanted to know what happened to Hayes and the old case, and how they would react to new clues, most things didn’t move me. In short, I wasn’t emotionally invested in the characters or the story.
This fact and the author’s way of dumping information rather than letting us experience them made the “love story” (if we can call it that) quite unauthentic. I never developed any feelings with the MC.
In conclusion: I can see why people might like it but unfortunately it wasn’t my cup of tea. I’m glad that I read it with a bookclub as the conversations there were very interesting.
The story still intrigues me, so I might read book #2 nontheless.
