I received a free copy from NetGalley. Slow. Lots of unlikable characters.
Apparently, I read it before and liked it even less that time.

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I have been attempting to read this one for years (literally), and I am just not connecting with it. I believe that this simply a case of a good book not being the right book for ME, and it would benefit your book more if I did not write a review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience and the amount of time that it has taken me to provide feedback on this title.

Very cool idea for a book, and an excellent execution of that idea. A thoroughly enjoyable read. Recommended. .

I loved the promise of the title and plot of this book, and was very eager to read it. Unfortunately, although the central story of pseudo-novelist Henry Hayden and the women in his life who wind up dead is very interesting with well-drawn characters and situations, there is both too much and too little here.

Bits and pieces of various explanations for the events exists, but as many reviews said, there is no conclusion as to what happens. Is he a sociopath? His past family and group home relationships and other plotting would suggest that. Is he being set up? His wife and girlfriend meeting up and switching cars and his wife's notes to him would suggest so, as would the snooping Fasch and Honor. In both cases, these seem to be dead ends, but no plausible path is offered as a replacement.

Other elements also have potential but aren't fully developed. Why does he then get involved with the mayor's wife, especially if he is so good at covering his tracks? Is the marten in his attic real or a telltale heart-like metaphor? Why do we need so much detail on certain peripheral characters and so little on more core ones?

Maybe that is what the author is trying to say -- this is more real and lifelike because there is not a clear ending and loose ends are not resolved. As it is, it seems like the author could not decide.

I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

I feel like I'm abandoning things a lot lately. I guess when you are crazy busy and stressed out, it makes you not want to waste what little time you have with things that don't make you happy.

This book reminds me a lot of The Shining Girls. In much the same way, I had a hard time connecting with story and the characters. Does it sound terrible to say that it's clearly hard for me to find sociopaths entertaining?

This was an intriguing read that offered some twists and turns. The main character wasn't exactly a likeable person, but it seemed to work in this book. My only complaint is that I kept feeling like I was missing something while reading. I felt that there was a lot more meaning in people and the manuscript that by the end, I wasn't catching. I gave this 3 stars on goodreads.