I love a good slow burn, and if you do then you will enjoy this one as well.. I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it early. Slow burns that keep my attention/pique my interest are truly the best.. I mostly enjoyed the characters and enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next.Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!

This is a disturbing literary thriller, a power struggle between an uncle who is convinced his nephew is evil and a danger to his family and the nephew who has recently lost his parents in an accident and has come to live with him. It moves in a slow steady way, coming to an inevitable battle between the two. but is the nephew dangerous or is the uncle losing his grip on reality. Interesting take, though a bit hard to read

I wish to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What do you do when your sister and her husband are both killed in an automobile accident leaving a fortune and their son in your care? This is a nephew whom you that you do not trust and you fear for the safety of your family? This is a cleverly developed fictional account of the thoughts and actions of the nephew and his uncle. The story reels the reader in from the very start. The characters are amazing and the story keeps changing with twists and turns. I loved it but wanted more. The thing that keeps this book from being rated 5 stars for me is the way in which it ends; I wish the author had put more into that part of the book.

This is a slow burn, character driven domestic thriller. The main character is a writer that takes in his orphaned nephew. The writer tends to ramble on and on for majority of the book.

A tense family thriller in which you can’t totally tell if the narrator is losing his mind or if on to something. At times it feels like a little bit of both.

I can’t say that the end really resolves itself with an answer. I wish it had been a little bit more clear on some things.

Maybe bc it took me a while to read it (time constraints), and then I was able to sit and read the ending quickly, it felt like it was kind of an abrupt ending that didn’t answer much. But that could just be my interpretation of it.

Well written, fast paced, a good suspenseful story about a 17year old moving in with his uncle and aunt after his parents were killed in a car crash. The boy, Matthew may be a bad seed who may have orchestrated the death of his parents. Is he a bad seed. Did he kill his parents. Is he a a danger to his uncle, aunt, and their two girls. Read the book and find out!

A great psychological thriller. A great creepy protagonist and lots of good family drama. The Gowanus canal even has a cameo. Thanks Random House for this great read.

Thanks to Netgalley for this advanced reader copy that I could not put down. I never expected to like it so much, yet the end left me wanting to turn more pages. Excellent book with concrete, concise writing. I would have called it The Nephew.

I’ve been trying to be very selective about thrillers. And it’s paying off. With books like these.
I mean, yes, the evil child thing has been done and done, but this is such a good revisiting of a concept. Such a literary one too. I mean it. Really first class writing.
Gil, our protagonist, is a middle-aged professor, living Vermont and loving it The city life was never for him. Not in the way it was for his sister who married into money and had it all. Loads of money, a 16.5 million dollar penthouse and the evil child, whom Gil ends up inheriting when a car crash orphans the kid.
Gil and his sister have been estranged for years, ever since her evil kid nearly killed Gil’s daughter. So understandably, Gil, his wife, and two daughters are reluctant to take the kid in now. But not only is he family, not only is Gil technically his godfather, but the kid is also worth a ton; his monthly allowance alone is 10K. This, Gil, reluctantly figured, will help them get out of debt, maybe put some money aside for college funds. Plus, the kid is already seventeen. Practically, an adult. In eight months, he’ll be off to college and that’ll be that.
Sound logic, right?
Interestingly enough, the kid, well the young man, really, when he arrives is nothing as expected. In fact, he is nice, polite, charming. Very smart. Very personable.
But while others may begin to relax around him, tentatively toeing the forgive-and-forget waters, Gil is as vigilant as ever. Gil believes the kid to be evil and will stop at nothing to prove it to the rest of the world. Gil would die trying to prove it.
And so, the games begin. Taut phycological games. And it’s oodles of fun.
Yes, it’s kind of one-note in a sense that you see where it’s going and then it goes exactly there. Yes, there isn’t a twist one might expect in the end. But still, oodles of fun.
So yeah, evil kids. Nature or nurture? Or is it just a flaw in the design? Either way, the concept entertains. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

I was drawn to this story because I have a nephew who I have viewed with suspicion after he attacked my daughter when they were both preschoolers. I have watched his actions from a distance since then and keep interactions with them to a minimum even though he is almost grown up now. I have actually wondered what I would do if my brother and sister in law died and made me his guardian, I just can't imagine trying to balance familial duty with protecting my own family.

Anyway, this was suspenseful and tense and hopefully if I was ever in this situation I would handle it with more sense and stability than the main character here. I felt for him but he went a bit over the top in his suspicions and behavior.

Terrific literary thriller about a cat and mouse game between a writer, professor and dad and his nephew who may not be what he seems. This book grabbed me from the first page and kept up a great pace until the very last word. Gil is a writer and creative writer professor at a college in Vermont. He lives with his wife Molly, an artist and their two teenage daughters. When he finds out his estranged sister has been killed in a car accident along with her wealthy husband, he is asked to be a guardian to his seventeen year old nephew Matthew. Gil feels like this is the right thing to do and the $10,000 monthly fee he will get as a guardian will help but he cannot forget an incident that happened with Matthew and his younger daughter several years earlier and he doesn't trust the boy has changed.

I liked Gil and Molly and it was nice to read about a writer and professor who wasn't a predator for once. Gil isn't perfect and has his demons but he loves his family and will do anything to protect them , However, has Matthew changed or is he just hiding behind his polite facade? Molly, the girls and even the family dog like Matthew and think he fits in with the family; but when Matthew signs up for Gil's college course and starts writing some disturbing pieces, Gil is the only who thinks something is off. Good writing and pace and I thought the ending was perfect. Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for a free book in exchange for a review.

4.5 Stars! A literary study that I found to be intense and disturbing. It presents a deep psychological analysis of two protagonists, neither of whom is entirely reliable. The plot was propulsive, and I could barely put it down while dreading its conclusion. However, I had to pause and take several breaks as I found the tension unbearable.

Gil Duggan is a professor of creative writing at Essex College in Vermont. He has moved away from the hustle and bustle of NYC with his wife and two daughters. He feels like a failure because his early hoped-for writing career stalled. He is bitter that he must support his family on a small income, especially in contrast to his sister, who dropped out of University. She married a multi-millionaire and is leading an extraordinary life of luxury. They have been estranged for nearly seven years, ever since her incorrigible, dangerous son, Matthew, almost killed Gil's younger daughter, an act his sister refused to acknowledge.

His sister and her wealthy husband died in a car accident. His family life is shattered as they have been appointed guardians of their now seventeen-year-old Matthew. Matthew is charming, polite and very intelligent. He wins over the affection of Gil's wife and his two daughters. Gil cannot believe the young man has changed and thinks his pleasant behaviour is a pretense. A hidden, dangerous psychopath must be concealed below his charm, and Gil fears for his wife and daughters. We follow Gil's terror and his descent into paranoia. He is suspicious of Matthew's every move. He interprets his smiles as sneers and smirks directed at him. Matthew's vast monthly allowance allows him much independence from the Duggan family. His admission at Harvard or Yale is fully paid for when he turns 18.

When Matthew enrolls in Gil's creative writing class, Gil becomes angered and suspicious of the young man's motive. Matthew starts turning in fictional writing assignments presenting the daughters as victims. This shocks Gil and makes him even more fearful for his family. Gil imagines a highly improbable scenario where Matthew hires someone to kill his parents so he can immediately inherit their total wealth. Gil is obsessed with Matthew's behaviour, to the extent of following him, peering in windows, and even secretly pursuing Matthew on several trips to his previous home in New York. Gil is becoming more and more unhinged.

The finale is surprising and leaves some issues unresolved. Perhaps there is room for a sequel? I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy a brilliant psychological thriller. The publication date is set for March 21, 2023. Thanks to NetGalley, Random House, and author Nathan Oates for an early electronic copy of A Flaw in the Design.

Fascinating topic that was very well-explored and entertaining at the same time. The characters were, in my opinion, the strongest part of the novel. This was also totally my vibe, but I would recommend it even to people who don't usually read thrillers.

Wow. What a psychopathological ride- even freakier than the blurb lead me to believe- I don't want to give away too much but this will be the thriller everyone is talking about this Spring. Definitely see it being adapted for Netflix or HBO. Request at your own peril!

A fascinating tale of dislike turning to hate and then to fear. The narrator’s descent into panic for his family as he is forced to take in and care for his sister’s son. As a child the boy became a matter of concern for his uncle. A seemingly innocent accident may not have been innocent.

When Gil’s sister and her husband are killed in an accident their son, Matt will be coming to live with Gil and his family. A charming young man about to head off to college, Matt will be staying for a short time. Matt is also inheriting a fortune from his parents allowing him to make his own way in life, which he intent on doing.

But Gil is not so sure Matt is a nice, charming young man. The question is, is Gil a reliable narrator? This is an increasingly tense book with well developed characters. An engrossing tale of one man’s fear for his family and what it can do to the human psyche. This is a great read. I highly recommend this book to anyone.

"A Flaw in the Design" starts off slow, but rapidly picks up speed as the story goes on. The plot is about Gil and his nephew, Matthew, who he gets custody of following the death of Matthew's parents. Both characters had me guessing throughout the book and I was never quite sure if Gil was a reliable narrator or not. I have to say, the not knowing definitely made me want to keep reading. I was not disappointed by the ending and look forward to reading more from Nathan Oates in the future.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I raced through it in 24 hours. Reading about Gil’s deteriorating mental state was like morbidly watching a train wreck. I was pleasantly surprised by the ending. Definitely recommended for fans of psychological thrillers.

I was hooked from page one! This book was a thrilling rollercoaster ride that I couldn’t wait to finish. I loved the cat and mouse game between Gil and Matthew and the ending had me cheering! Def will be on the lookout for this authors next book.

Creative writing professor Gill takes his teenage nephew Matthew in after his parents did in a car crash. Matthew is handsome, rich, and dangerous. Gil makes it his mission to expose Matthew and prove to his family that he is wolf in very expensive sheeps clothing. Matthew and Gil’s cat and mouse game culminates in an ending that you will not see coming!

A Flaw in the Design is available March 23,2023.

Thank you to netgalley and randomhousepublishing for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This novel kept me guessing until the end. I just wasn't sure which character was acting and which was overreacting. Excellent ending--loved the twist.

When Gill's estranged sister & brother-in-law are killed in a car accident, Gill learns that he is still listed as the legal guardian for their only son, Matthew. Thanks to the frightening incident that caused the estrangement, Gill is hesitant to accept his duties but ultimately decides to honor his sister's wishes and moves Matthew to his home in Vermont. To Gill's wife & daughters, Matthew appears to have grown up into a normal adolescent....but Gill still sees a monster.

The first half of the book was a very slow burn for me. I liked the concept but really struggled to get into it. A good bit into it there was a story within a story that was so much more compelling than the actual book that I almost lost hope. Fortunately, the back half of the book more than makes up for the slow start.

Once I hit the middle of this book I could not put it down. I work very early mornings (6am) but stayed up until 2:40am finishing it because I had to know what happened. The entire way through the second half of the book I couldn't stop thinking about how perfectly suited it would be to a Netflix adaptation and how a miniseries or movie could find a way to speed up the first half or do it in a deeply creepy way that held your attention. I sincerely hope that's already in the works.

I would definitely read more from this author!