This is a fascinating look at a woman's death and all the events leading up to it. In the prologue a woman leaps to her death off a cliff--or is she pushed? When husband, Perry returns from a business trip he discovers the tragedy and meets her brother and sister--Hazel and Kagan--for the first time and assumes they only want the fortune she left behind. But the duo knows that Janice had a fear of heights so they're really confused as to why she would be walking alone at night. But they have their own issues as Hazel is addicted to her social media channel and Kagan is addicted to alcohol so can they be trusted? It's a wonderfully convoluted novel about the choices we make, the identities we adopt, and the lengths we may go to in ensuring we get what we want--or deserve!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Trust Issues.

I enjoy con man stories and revenge tales so I was excited to read this.

Sadly, I found the plot formulaic, the characters boring and trite, and the writing was dull, all tell, no show.

First and foremost, I had issues with the writing; the narrative is written in an info dump style or expositional. It was like reading a textbook of what was going on.

The characters tell us what they're feeling, thinking, why they're angry. Some chapters are just summaries of what the characters are planning or thinking, lots of inner monologuing.

Also, people don't speak like this in real life; talk in paragraph form and say "i see" constantly which is what the detective Calabrese says all the time.

The characters are unlikable, Hazel and Kagan are privileged, entitled middle-aged brats who vow vengeance not because Perry had their mother killed but made off with their inheritance.

With kids like these, who needs enemies?

Perry's daughter was the only interesting character, but she's poorly developed since she's written in a term paper kind of way as well.

This type of writing drags the narrative down, the pacing is slow and tedious, and lacks suspense and excitement.

This was an interesting read. You have a shady con man Perry that steals the inheritance of Hazel and Kagan after marrying their mother and having her killed. The siblings will do whatever it takes to get their money. Some unlikeable characters and several twists. I liked how it brought the siblings together too.

I thought this book was unpredictable and complex. It’s a great premise for a book with some pretty shady characters.

When a con man marries their mother, has her killed, and steals their inheritance, Hazel and Kagan make a choice. They will do whatever it takes to bring this man down and recover their money. But they need some expertise on how to “play the long game” and take a chance on tracking down Ava, the con man’s daughter. Will they succeed?

I was a bit surprised with the ending, but all in all, a very solid 3-star read. Thank you, NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the advanced reader copy.

Have you read Trust Issues? No?! What are you waiting for! This was such an entertaining story that kept me interested until the last minute!

Who doesn't love con stories and tales of grifters? This one will spin you around so quickly you won't know what happened!

When the estranged mother of two siblings dies in potentially suspicious manner, the two hope to get to the bottom of the matter quickly. Unfortunately, Hazel and Kagan just. Aren't. Smart. Fortunately, there are plenty of other interesting and very smart people to carry the story along.

It was a fascinating tale - one that truly wasn't sure how it would end. A very ocean's eleven sort of style con and I love every minute of it!

#penguin #dutton #trustissues #elizabethmcculloughkeenan #gregwands

This book was just ok for me. The storyline was interesting enough but the style of writing didn't grab me and at times it seemed like a YA book even though it wasn't. Lots of family issues and twists and cons propel the story. I would try another one of their books.

An equal parts murder mystery and suspense novel delving into the mind of a serial manipulator who brings together a brother and sister looking to avenge the death of their mother and take back their sizeable inheritance!! Good book! Some bratty characters lol it also had suspense, intrigue, murder, mystery, gas lighting, and a few crazy twists and turns! The story was interesting! I would recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!