A dark mystery thriller that I struggled to connect with, so did not finish the book. The writing was quite disjointed and it was difficult to follow the story, and felt a bit long-winded.

This book was a dark horse in the sense that I wasn't sure it was one I'd like. The subject matter is just plain brutal. Surprisingly, it kept me engaged the entire time. I took breaks to eat and sleep but otherwise I read straight through. Thanks NetGalley!

This is a beautifully written story about relationships,trust,loss and sorrow. The story begins with the death of a daughter. The affect on the father is particularly devastating. The author's description of what happens to him is so realistic It made me cry. The other characters are just as well drawn and they have an integral part in this book,especially father Gervase who is a catholic priest. The author's description of the town and it's people is done in such detail I could truly visualise them. I would whole heartedly recommend this book. It is one of the best that I have read in a long while.

Will, Sophia and Lucy form an enviable family unit. Will is a renowned painter, Sophie is a choral master and Lucy is all what they want from a daughter. An ordinary evening, each one returning from chores and Lucy does not return from hockey practice. A few days later her bloodied body is found. Seven months down the line, her parents shattered, they await some findings about their daughters killer.

Will seeks revenge on his own. He looks into every face in his well loved neighbourhood and thinks that one of them could well be his daughters killer. It drives him and Sophie far apart. Sophie is a Catholic with very strong faith and Will is not a believer. Being approached by Father Gervase to undertake a painting of forty three saints for the new cathedral is ironic. Will finally accepts the challenge and this is the turning point in the story. He chooses for the models people from all walks of life from within the community following in the manner of famous artists of the past.

Will and Sophie have to make their peace as well. They are broken by the grief of their daughters death, but this has driven them apart not brought them together. Will the killer be found as it is now a very cold case. An odd finding of a token loved by Lucy months after her death in a chapel, opens the investigation in another way and this will finally lead to solving the case.

Poignant, very emotional, very sad but beautifully and delicately written, this was a very beautifully told story.
Goodreads and Amazon reviews up on 24/6/2017. Review on my blog 3/7/2017

This book grabbed me from the moment I started reading it. It was a free promotional book for Amazon Prime Members, and I assumed it would be good because the company was promoting it as a perk for membership. But I didn't expect a book of such depth, beauty, humanity, written quite beautifully. As soon as I finished it - in tears, I have to admit - I went to read the reviews on Amazon, and was struck by the first review I read - quite negative, boring, tedious, badly written. It was stunning how much this person missed the beauty of the novel, and of course, I was struck by how different our tastes are, when I read other, similar reviews, by people who were bored. I wasn't bored for a nano-second. One of my requirements in a book is that the characters in the book are human, conflicted, with the inner struggles we all face. I'm not looking for super-heroes, and don't want that. I want authenticity and depth. Ann LeClaire's book transcended even that aspect, because she wove a wonderful, interesting story of several compelling characters into a narrative, and each character shone. If that weren't compelling and wonderful enough, you have the throughline of an unsolved murder that subtly weaves its way in, and on top of that, a sheen of humanistic questioning of faith, of the limits of endurance, of capacity for anger, rage, regret. I was astonished how good the book is, and recommend it unequivocably - or at least with the caveat for those who want internal dialogue and questioning, by complex characters. I also loved her style of writing, as a character's spoken words might be terse, but their inner truer thoughts are shared.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for giving me access to this tittle for review.
I must first admit that I wasn't blown away by the title of this book, I really didn't get what it would be about, but I'm sure glad I decided to read a few pages. The next thing I knew I kept turning the pages and couldn't put the book down. The story was beautifully written, a story of parents who's teenage daughter was murdered and how such a devastating tragedy can cause many lives to spin out of control . The story was sad at times, which Is what would be expected with the events that took place.
I liked that the author gave clues though out that tries to get you to solve the mystery of who actually murdered their daughter. The ending was amazing!!! Also beautiful in itself because the author took such a tragedy and turned it into something so meaningful and so positive! And I love that the author had left the readers with the sense of resolution and conclusion. I felt that every character had the perfect closure. I would definitely recommend this book, such a wonderful read!

Woah! The themes and underlining meanings in Halo Effect with leave you thinking about these characters and situations for a long time after finishing this novel.

I'm torn on how to characterize this- it's not really a mystery, it's not really a thriller, it's got religious themes, and there's a lot of grief. I do think it would have benefited from a detached edit to tighten it up and up the suspense. Will and Sophie cope with the loss of their daughter in such different ways and it's not for any of us to judge them. THanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I was oddly disappointed by this novel but suspect others will enjoy it because it does wrap in a lot of themes.

Will and Sophie Light are preparing to have a nice family dinner with their daughter, Lucy, but Lucy never returns home from school. Days later, her lifeless body is found. Will and Sophie are thrown into a pit of despair and not even the idea of a new painting commission can make Will feel better. He’s been asked to paint portraits of the saints for a new cathedral, using influential townspeople as inspiration (I’m not religious and even I think that’s beyond the pale). For Will, not knowing who murdered his daughter, each face he paints could belong to his daughter’s killer. It’s not long before Will’s rage, his wife’s steadfast courage, the local priest and Lucy’s best friend, Rain, all come together in a blowout that will leave them all reeling. This isn’t a quick, I know who did it by the end of the first chapter book, more a thoughtful literary mystery that explores the breakdown of a family in the wake of a tragedy