Member Reviews
All That Is Mine I Carry With Me by William Landay is true to form if you read the previous acclaimed book by the author. Centered around a family split by the disappearance of the mother, presumably murdered by the father by the police and some of the family. No body or crime scene is found and only a circumstantial case can be made and the DA is chary of so doing.
All in all a well written tale and easy to read.
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advance copy for review.
I thought the beginning of the book was an author’s note. I almost skipped it but then realized how long it was and decided it had to be importantly. It’s actually the start of the book and I feel ridiculous.
This book is really unusual but I don’t think I can explain it well without ruining the whole story. The best I can do is this: there are multiple books that are told from a variety of perspectives. It was an interesting way to tell the story and I don’t think the end would’ve had the same impact if it had been a traditional mystery novel. Great ending.
I thought it was great and can’t wait for it to come out so I can recommend it.
This book is part crime novel, part character study, and all of it is fascinating. Jeff, Alex and Miranda's mother disappeared when they were teenagers. Their mom's sister is convinced the teens' father Dan Larkin killed his wife Jane. The three children are torn between love for their missing mother, and the fear that they will never know what happened to her. Great read!!
William Landry is a talented writer, and has a conversational style that draws you into the story. The plot is told through the eyes of the middle child of the family, Jeff, as he tries to deal with the trauma of his mother's disappearance. His attorney father is the murder suspect but the body is not found for 18 years and the district attorney refuses to indict the father. The family is polarized by the mother's murder, as two of three believe their father may be responsible. The underlying theme of the book is the mental health of the family members, as the father is narcissistic, obsessive compulsive, and a sociopath. The mother had depressive episodes, as does the daughter. The son Jeff becomes an alcoholic when he is unable to bear grieving for his missing mother.
I loved this book! From start to finish, it was entrancing and I was unable to put it down till I finished. So many plot twists which had me rethinking Dan’s guilt over and over again. Why can’t all books be this good?
This was a very good story by a new author, to me. It kept .y attention and kept me reading. Great work. Now I will have to find more books by this author.
I will always pick up any book that is written by William Landay. I know it will be smart, special, and will move me. All That Is Mine I Carry with Me is no exception.
Centering around the life-long aftermath of a mother gone missing, the now three grown children are taxed with coming to grips with their dementia-impacted father. The father who was the suspect in their mother's missing story.
Landay uses a storytelling device of an author talking directly to the reader who espouses that he doesn't want to write a novel about a friend's trauma. It also goes into how each of the three now adult children feel about a book being written about their family. Not all are onboard. The story unfolds both through the meta novelist, back and forth time lines, court hearings and of course, red herrings. As always, Landay kept me on the edge of the proverbial seat trying to determine what exactly happened and who should pay the price. But what makes this novelist a must read for me is the emotional entanglement he creates within the context of the crime. I'm always reminded the crime is just the beginning.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam and NetGalley for granting my wish for early access. All opinions are mine.
I was beyound excited when I was selected to receive this Nethlgalley ARC.
This book is so, so good!
Great book from the author of Defending Jacob. One cold Fall day, 10 year old Miranda, comes home school and her Mom isn't there to greet her. At first Miranda figured her mother would be home any minute, but day stretches to night and then to morning. Her mother has simply vanished.
Her father is the policy's top suspect but there no evidence and her father is a top criminal defense attorney. So Miranda and her two brothers are raised by their mother's possible murderer.
Then 20 years later, her mother's remains are dug up. The investigation is back in full force and the kids need to decide if they will stand by their Dad or not.
I could see this book being made into another Apple mini-series.
Thanks to the author and publisher for the ARC.
This book will be published March 2022.
What would you do if you came home one day to find your mother missing? Ten year old Miranda finds herself in that very situation in November 1975. Nothing is out of place or missing. It’s as if her mother, Jane Larkin just vanished.
Investigators naturally suspect Jane’s husband. He is a criminal defense attorney and would dedicated be able to pull it off. However no evidence is found. Twenty years later, Jane’s body is found and the investigation is reopened.
Her three children are now grown and are forced to choose if they believe their father is guilty or innocent.
I really enjoyed this! It was a bit slow but I was so hooked it didn’t bother me. I liked the multiple POV as you even get a glimpse at Jane’s perspective. Highly recommend!
Thank you to netgalley and randomhousepublishing for this arc in exchange for my honest review.
All That Is Mine I Carry With Me by William Landay tells us the story of Jane and her family who are desperately struggling to overcome Jane's disappearance. Miranda comes home afterschool to find the house empty, which is not the norm around the Larkin home. Jane was always there to greet her. But as the night comes to an end and Jane isn't heard from, Miranda and her brothers know something isn't right. The nights turn into weeks, which turn into months and then years Jane is gone, never to be heard from. Everyone in the town, including the police, suspect Dan but no one can prove it. The Larkin family begins to live again, but it is not the same. Jane's disappearance leaves a visible hole in the lives of the kids. Decades later, Jane's remains are found. Questions and suspicions still surround Dan. The kids struggle to take sides. No one wants to disrespect their mom or dad, so which side do they choose?
I have read other works by William Landay before and will continue to read his work. He writes the best mix of family dynamics and legal mysteries. He will keep you guessing and engulfed in the story page after page. My only complaints with All That is Mine I carry with Me is the chapter length. This book is separated into 4 parts with no chapter breaks. I like how every part is from someone else's point of view showing you the whole story. I just wish there were chapters or some kind of break. I will be recommending All That is Mine I will Carry with Me to my other book loving friends and will always be on the lookout for more work by Landay! 5 stars for me #AllThatIsMineICarryWithMe #NetGalley
Superb!
When Jane Larkin goes missing in November of 1975, her family was distraught. Her daughter Miranda is the first to discover that her mother is missing.
Though they investigate, the police find no clues to her disappearance, though Jane’s husband Dan Larkin is suspected of the crime.
Twenty years later, Jane’s body is found.
As the investigation begins anew, suspicions arise. Dan Larkin is once again the main suspect. This time, a new path is chosen where the law and justice will determine guilt or innocence, one where family is pitted against family, and no one is left unscathed.
A brilliantly plotted, brilliantly written mystery suspense, All That Is Mine I Carry With Me, is gripping and wholly unique. I will admit, however, that this book started off a little slow for me. For some reason, I had an issue with the first narrator and kind of slogged along in the first bit, not sure if the book was for me. I kept going because I loved all of William Landay’s previous novels, and because my book buddy Kaceey loved it, thus I figured that I simply had to keep going. Needless to say, I’m very glad I did.
This book is a prime example of why I love to read. It’s an intense character-driven fiction that packs quite the punch.
A buddy read with Kaceey that we both enjoyed. Thanks for keeping me going Kaceey! So glad you did!
4.5 stars
Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam via NetGalley for granting my wish!
Pros: I think fans of Defending Jacob will be thrilled to read a new book by the author and will want to discuss the ending immediately. I found this book to be very readable—I would have read it in one sitting if I didn’t have other responsibilities! I just wanted to keep reading to find out what did (or didn’t) happen. I liked that the plot of this book kept me guessing until the very end—one of my pet peeves with mystery/suspense novels is when I can figure out the ending/the whodunnit.
When I first saw the table of contents, I wasn’t sure about the book being made up of four big chapters because I tend to prefer lots of short chapters. Once I got started reading, I did not notice the lack of chapter breaks and enjoyed that each section was from a different point of view.
Cons: None really. There are so many books in this genre that I tend to not rate them over 3.5 stars unless they do something extra special.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the opportunity to read this book.
3.5 stars
“A mother vanished. A father presumed guilty. There is no proof. There are no witnesses. For the children, there is only doubt.” - Goodreads
Well done. Well done. I’m impressed. I think the synopsis makes this seem like more mystery/suspense than it actually is. I think it is more on the Literary Fiction side, but I actually prefer that. I so enjoyed this, right up until the last sentence. The format, the story telling, the characters, I was invested. I found the courtroom scenes some of the best parts of the book and usually that is not the case for me. I liked the way in which one of the characters explains what’s happening in the courtroom in layman’s terms but it is sewn into the book and it is almost not noticeable this is happening. The last 25% of the book we find ourself in a completely different setting and continue to view this story from different perspectives. I could have easily read another 100 pages. I could easily see this being translated to the big screen and while reading it felt more like I was watching a movie. This is my first book by our author but will not be my last.
Many thanks to our author, Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing me with an advanced eGalley copy of the book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This will be released on March 7th, 2023 and I hope if you choose to read it you enjoy it also.
William Landay's family drama, Defending Jacob, is a book that has stuck with me even tho I read it many years ago--this book will stick with me, too. This story of a wife/mother (Jane) who vanishes one day is told through multiple points of view in a slow, steady burn that spans several decades. Of course, you assume the husband/father killed Jane--but did he? The character development is superb--I felt like I personally knew each one! But hang on, because the conclusion will have you thinking WTH?! Please Mr. Landay, don't wait so long between books!
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC.
This book started out strong for me. I was immediately sucked into the author as character angle (and even wondered if Landay was talking about himself at first) but the last part of the book reallllly dragged for me. I was hoping for more.
I have to admit that the Defending Jacob is one of my favorite books. Having said that I was excited to read All That is Mine I Carry With me and had high expectations.
The Author's telling part of the story from a missing person's perspective was creative and effective.
The character development was not deep enough for me, therefore the characters were not that compelling to me and did not engross me to the point of high interest.
The ending was strong and left the Reader with a positive feeling overall,
DJ is a hard act to follow. I thought he book was good, not great, but still gave it 4 stars.
Worth the wait! I was so happy to hear William Landay had a new novel and All That Is Mine I Carry With Me did not disappoint. It wasn’t exactly a thriller, but more of a family drama that I got completely lost in. Twists and turns make this a book I could not put down. Highly recommended for this who love a suspenseful, character driven story.
This book is…….delicious!! What an ingenious plot, some clever twists. This is the story of a seemingly ordinary, albeit wealthy, family and the disappearance of the mother. From the start, all eyes are on the dad as the perpetrator but there was never enough evidence to convict. One of the interesting parts of the story is following the three kids as they grow to adulthood and the trajectories their lives take. I am not going into spoilers but this book grabs you and never releases. Well worth the read!
This ARC was provided by the publisher and NetGalley; the opinions expressed are my own.
One day in 1975, Miranda comes home to find her mother missing. No one seems to know what happened and she’s never found. The father is suspected, but there’s no evidence. Now, decades later, their mother’s body is found and there is renewed interest.
I loved the variety in this story. There were different perspectives and different feels to each part. I really enjoyed the long-term look at the situation and how it all unraveled. The ending was unexpected but felt so real. There was also a bit of a court thriller to it which was fun. It was a genuine family story with an unusual dynamic.
“We are all sealed up alone. We all carry the center of the universe inside our own heads.”
All That is Mine I Carry With Me comes out 3/7.
Once again, Landay hit it out of the park with this. I loved it. This kept me havingy until the end and then it packed a whallop. I highly recommend!!