First thing I need to say is that I'm struggling to find the words to review this book, not because I didn't enjoy it, buy because I'm trying not to let my day job get in the way! Ah, the trope of a 'Will reading'... and an 'ironclad' Will that is beyond contestation... I just have to keep reminding myself that the book is based in the US and different laws apply! But seriously, if I was ever presented with a Probate case like this I'd be hard pressed to retain my professionalism... I'd be right in there trying to solve the riddles with my clients! 

Seriously though, this is a wonderfully clever tale, with twists and turns that keep you engaged and enthralled from start to finish. It's a constant roller-coaster of 'who can you trust?', and throughout you are never truly comfortable with the characters that surround our protagonist. It's a brilliantly simple concept, executed in a way that is incredibly easy to read and yet doesn't feel 'dumbed down'. Even the secondary characters have great personality and depth to them, and suspicion falls on someone peripheral just as easily as on the main cast members. 

I do wish that there had been slightly more made of the puzzles - while I absolutely loved reading about the characters following clues to locate the hidden messages etc, it would have been even better if they were clues within the text so that the reader could feel like they were alongside Avery and the others on their hunt if they wanted to. But I suspect the author has laid breadcrumbs for later in the series, so I may get my wish (and be pleasantly surprised when I fail to put the pieces together) after all...

The imagery conjoured up by the author regarding Hawthorn House is brilliant too. I see it as a palatial version of 'The Burrow' from Harry Potter; just a sprawling building that's been added to in random ways over and over again, that looks like it can only be held up by magic. Everything just feels so vivid; even though it's a mansion straight out of a childhood fantasy of how rich people live (or a Sims build) I can totally believe in the place!

The only real let downs for me were that I figured out the clue that leads to the cliffhanger straight away, and the love triangle set up. I don't think it needed the romance element to be played quite so hard and fast as it was - if it has to be done, I feel like a slower burn would have ramped up the tension another notch and served the story better. But equally I could feel the UST bubbling off the page, so what is there is done well!

Definitely looking forward to book 2!