3.5 stars and I am probably being a bit generous with that.

While it was absolutely better than his Survive the Night, this newest release from Riley Sager was still just a meh read for me. I didn't hate it, but I was disappointed. There are good things, but really what came across most was just how average and cliche this novel was and I expect more from a seasoned author.

There is a slow burn to the plot and some good twists. There was some good intrigue and a few creative pieces that could have taken the book to really great places. The insertion of some paranormal elements were a bit off kilter for me, but may work well for other readers...it will likely prove to be a large divisive point. I'm not against a paranormal element, but in this case I just would have liked the plot to have worked out on a different pathway. For me, the paranormal route felt like a bit of a cop out and didn't fit with the trajectory of the plot. There was a lot of potential in the components to this story and it just went unfulfilled.

Overall, I think this book just suffers from being pushed out too quickly. There were good bones. Sager has talent and can write a good story. I have read his other novels and clearly liked them enough to come back for more (despite my feelings for Survive the Night). But this...this wasn't the best. The writing is not his finest. Though readable and somewhat entertaining, the prose comes off a bit lazy and doesn't really have the finesse that I saw in some of his earlier works. I suppose this is what comes of pushing out thrillers at a fast pace instead of taking the time to thoroughly edit.

There is a lot of tell vs. show in the novel and this does hurt the narrative quite a bit. Casey's backstory is just kind of tossed out to set the scene in small dollops and this results in her being more of a cardboard cutout than a dynamic and believable character. The tension is likewise stunted due to these actions. Again, I think there was a lot of promise with the plot and the characters, there simply does not appear to have been the time investment into making them their best.

There is an audience for this novel and I think those who have not read Sager's other works may rate this higher. For those who do elect to read, I do recommend physically reading the novel over listening to the audio. Typically, the audio gives a book a bit more depth and can help me connect with it on an even deeper level, but unfortunately there was a terrible mismatch between the book and choice of narrator. Bernadette Dunne does a great job as a reader, but her mature voice created a bit of a distraction from the fact that the main character was meant to be in her 30s. This resulted in quite a disconnect for me on several occasions and just didn't lend any authenticity to the protagonist.

I know that this review sounds overbearingly critical, but this is simply because (as stated earlier) I know what Sager is capable of as an author. This was a lazy attempt at best. It wasn't a bad book, I just expected more.