First, I would like to thank ParkRow publishing for inviting me to read a free Kindle ARC edition of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The entirety of the novel is contained in a single, tumultuous weekend. Thursday night, when no one is supposed to occupy the Sheffield’s Hamptons mansion, tragedy strikes, and the witnesses of this event struggle with their morals and their desire for financial security in considering whether or not to report the accident. Guests begin to arrive Friday morning for the Memorial Day weekend party, completely unaware of the whirlwind of events that occurred on the property and the evidence that is loosely buried there.

The characters of the novel were well-written. Corey, rather immature in his hobby of breaking into houses and pranking the occupants, is a well-intentioned teenager with a heart of gold. Gina, his mother, is a fall-down drunk attempting to escape an abusive husband and take charge of her sobriety. Mr. Sheffield, attempting to conceal the events of the night before, never wavers in his resolve to do the right thing by his family and employees.

The plot started off slowly, following Corey on his escapades Thursday evening. He spends the entire night lurking, watching. Despite the short time window of the novel, the plot seems to drag as the reader experiences the days through three points of view. I would not classify this novel as a thriller so much as a psychological novel. The characters make decisions that are believable, and they struggle immensely with their vices. I just would have liked to have seen more character development in the other prominent characters such as Mrs. Sheffield and Angelique. Overall, The East End is a good book, but is not a stand-out novel.

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