The Family Plot is a psychological thriller about a cultish family living secluded on a small island. They are shunned by the rest of the society there, as the children grew up home schooled by a mother who taught them based on stories and evidence from murders. The children have fled as they came of age, but the death of their father has returned them to the island. All except Andy, who long ago left a note indicating that he likely would never return. When a body is found already buried in the father's burial plot, the question of who the body belongs to and who killed them begins an investigation. Just how odd is the Lighthouse family afterall?

I enjoyed the writing and the setting of this novel quite a bit. It had a nice gothic feel to it and I liked the ambiance of isolation. The characters were okay for me, but I didn't really like them. They seemed a bit over the top and not as fully fleshed out as I would have liked. The pacing was solid and the story moved well from beginning to end. I didn't feel bored with the story and any point and it held a moderate amount of intrigue.

The suspense was pretty good overall, though I had the first twist pegged immediately and found the handling of it to be a little juvenile. The story got better after this moment and I really enjoyed the suspicion and red herrings thrown in along the remainder of the story. I did have the big twist partially figured out, but there was still a good part of it that wrenched my stomach hard.

The ending was a little blase, but it worked for the story and I didn't hate it. It didn't pack a punch, but it wrapped up things fairly nicely.

An enjoyable, moderately paced thriller with a creepy family.

* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *