This wasnt my favorite but i would still recommend it for those wanting a dark novel. this didnt have too much character development but the plot was thick with details. i feel like this is perfect for readers who love to read about books, in that regard i would recommend this! thank you to netgalley and publishers for arc

I'm the first person to rate and review this book. Ideally, I'd lavish it in praise, but realistically, it's exactly the same as its two predecessors. A three-star read through and through.
I debated not reading this at all, but I do like tale of forgeries and books, and my completist nature demanded I finish the trilogy.
Now I have. To Morrow's credit, he's consistent. All of his Forger books have the same style, mood, and quality. They are very literary in the way that the prose is sophisticated and highbrow. Yet for some reason this consistently comes at the cost of character development and actualization. Which is to say Morrow knows how to turn a sentence more than he knows how to create an engaging and believable character.
The protagonist of this one, the original forger's daughter, Nicole, at no point reads like a twenty-year-old. Her younger sister doesn't read like much of an eleven-year-old either for that matter. Nicole talks like an old British novel, calls her parents by their first names, and carries out sophisticated international literary deceptions, not to mention peculiarly passionless love affair.
There's a lot of stilted people making stilted awkward conversations. Though technically, not so much, as the novel is pretty dense, with narrative consistently winning over dialogue.
The only more or less believable character is the antagonist, Slader. In fact, the opening scene of his crawling out of the grave, having been buried alive, is the novel's best, by far.
It stands to mention that just about all of the characters carry on like they are in an old British novel, which makes mentions of the US geography disorienting.
While the novel leaves you wanting in character department, it excels in the field of details. From forgery descriptions to literary backstory (this one involves a certain prodigy who gave the world Frankenstein), it's all fascinating, well-researched, and a treat for fans of "books about books."
So, something of a mixed bag. Not great, but solidly decent throughout, a reasonably quick read. Now the trilogy is complete. Done. Moving on. Thanks Netgalley.

This book was dense, but that is also the author's style of writing. It's not that a lot is always happening, but the author wants you to know a lot to understand what is happening. I appreciate the literary historical references but this book was simply not my cup of tea.