7.22.2024

finished reading

This thriller examines the question--if you were living with a serial killer, wouldn't you suspect?  The story is told from Sophie's point of view, both in the 1980s and the present day.  I'm not sure if the reader is supposed to like Sophie.  Several twisty plot points were both easy to figure out and jaw-dropping.  I will try to avoid spoilers.

Sophie's childhood desire for a family is endearing.  I was drawn into the story by her precociousness.  After Matty Melgren begins dating Amelia-Rose, Sophie's mother, and they play happy family, you can tell there's something not quite right.  Matty drags his feet to create a long-term relationship or propose marriage.

I almost need to re-read the book after the final big twisty reveal to see if I missed nudges.

From the publisher:
Matty Melgren is a convicted serial killer serving life without parole for the murders of several women in London in the 1980s. He has consistently protested his innocence, and the evidence against him was largely circumstantial. At the time of his arrest, Matty’s girlfriend was Amelia-Rose, a single mother to 12-year-old Sophie. Sophie adores Matty. He’s handsome, funny, respectable—she could never suspect him of the brutal killings in the headlines. Then a police sketch of a suspect is released that looks a lot like Matty. Was it him? Sophie is consumed with doubt and guilt, causing her to act impulsively, ripping her family apart. Years later, she is still haunted by her actions. Was she wrong to have done what she did all those years ago? Then Sophie receives a letter from Matty—he’s dying and asks her to visit him in prison. Will she finally get the answers she needs to be able to reclaim her future?

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