markfeltskog's review against another edition
Well done, but not really my cup of tea.
keshiajarosz's review against another edition
2.0
“The least likely people are capable of the most unexpected things.”
lizdesole's review against another edition
4.0
SPOILER ALERT:It is a very interesting murder mystery. I can't decide if I like the ambiguous ending or not, but it did surprise me. I could've used more character development-esp since the book is more about the characters than who committed the crime. I also didn't but how naive the son was in the beginning. I still very much enjoyed it though
booksandbosox's review against another edition
3.0
In 1976, Gina Engel is killed in her apartment. Her young son Steven wonders if he knows the killer. Lily Chin is about to marry her dream man until a strange woman appears. Does her fiance have something to do with Gina? Louise Carpanetti, reaching her elder years, thinks back to Gina's murder - and the phone call Gina made in her final minutes. Is it possible that Louise's son killed Gina?
This was sort of a quiet creepy book. It's pretty unsettling in that it makes you feel like you can never really know a person. I liked that Shepard switched narratives just as each was heating up and coming to a resolution. I really liked the ending - I didn't see it coming. I'm not really sure how other reviewers think there wasn't a resolution - it's pretty clear in that final chapter what conclusions one is supposed to draw. Interesting and quick read.
This was sort of a quiet creepy book. It's pretty unsettling in that it makes you feel like you can never really know a person. I liked that Shepard switched narratives just as each was heating up and coming to a resolution. I really liked the ending - I didn't see it coming. I'm not really sure how other reviewers think there wasn't a resolution - it's pretty clear in that final chapter what conclusions one is supposed to draw. Interesting and quick read.
randykraft's review
4.0
This novel is a fine hybrid of mystery and literary character-driven fiction. Three distinct narratives that connect through the neighborhood and through a handful of eccentric characters. Karen Shepard has a lovely crisp voice with great clarity - we see and feel what is happening - and she ties the story line together neatly, although without contrivance. Somewhere or someone tipped me off to the book, which was published in 2006, and I recommend highly for anyone who prefers a more subtle history with great character development.
hawthornm's review
4.0
It a very quick read, (I finished it in an afternoon) but not a throw-away mass-market thriller. It's gripping and when you finally figure out whodunnit (probably) you walk away both satisfied and disturbed.
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