Nora is still grieving the loss of her mother from a tragic accident when she learns of her father's accidental death. Liam Noone was a strange and complex man, prone to compartmentalizing his life. When Nora was very young, her parents separated, and Liam had two other children, twins, Tommy and Sam. Nora has never been close to either of her half-brothers. Despite having a second family and owning a large hotel chain, Liam still managed to make time for her. It was only recently, right after her mother's death, that Nora felt the need to push her father away to make space for her grief. She never thought her father would fall off a cliff to his death, especially since he knew his home like the back of his hand.

The authorities believe Liam's death was an accident, as security cameras show that he was alone that night. But Sam, Nora's half-brother, suspects there might be more to the story. He enlists Nora's help in finding answers, but what they uncover is far more complicated. Liam had more secrets than they could have ever imagined.

When I first picked up this book, I thought it was going to be a thriller. After all, it was marketed as a mystery/thriller. However, I would say that this book is better categorized as a family drama with a touch of mystery. Every family has their secrets, but Liam Noone's secrets span nearly half a century, with many threads to unravel and numerous people who would prefer they remain hidden, even from his own children.

The pacing of this story was moderate. It started a bit slow, which might disappoint readers expecting the typical fast-paced structure of a thriller. This book deviates from that structure primarily because, throughout the story, it remains uncertain whether a murder actually took place. While there are hints at the beginning suggesting Liam's death might be suspicious, the book mainly focuses on Nora's connections with her family and her romantic relationship with her fiancé.

At times, Nora's interactions with others felt stereotypical and unrealistic, which disrupted the story's plausibility for me. When you're reading a book and you're constantly reminded that you're reading a book, it creates a distance between the text and the reader. This story would have been much stronger if it hadn't relied so heavily on stereotype and cliché. That said, when I reached the end of the book, I couldn't stop reading because I needed to uncover all the Noone family secrets.

Overall, this was an interesting novel. It is Laura Dave's second thriller/mystery, following her highly successful novel, The Last Thing He Told Me (which I also recommend).

It was an ok read. Not really suspenseful as advertised. Nonetheless, an interesting concept and enjoyable.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

Nora has lost her mother and then her father in quick succession and her grief is causing her to draw away from her boyfriend Jack. At this point her half-brother Sam, who she barely knows, contacts her to say he has suspicions that their father Liam's death was not an accident. Nora and Sam try to get to the bottom of things, and at the same time there are chapters from Liam's past which contribute to the solution to the mystery.

The novel is fairly slow and there is as much musing about love and loss and grief and identity as there is investigation. I liked Nora, who could be very funny, but the gradually revealed truth about Liam's life was not super romantic to me. Still, it kept me guessing to the end.