Book Review: "You Will Never Know" by SA Prentiss
“You Will Never Know” by SA Prentiss
Synopsis: After a lifetime of hardship, Jessica Thornton finally has the life she's dreamed of: a new marriage to a realtor with burgeoning success; a daughter whose athleticism has won her a scholarship to college; and a freshly-secured grant from her bank to finally complete her own higher education.
Her life today is a complete reversal from the not-too-distant past, when the death of her first husband left her penniless and desperate to provide for her then-newborn child. But after the murder of her children's high school classmate, a series of disturbances brings Jessica to question whether her dreams ever actually came true, or whether they've just been delusions all along . . .
In the days after the murder, suspicion creeps in at every corner, beginning with Jessica's daughter and stepson, who won't tell her where they were on that fateful night. Then she discovers that her husband's business is failing, not growing, and that the stories he's told of meetings with high-powered investors were nothing more than lies. And when a private investigator comes to look into the death of her first husband, her last foundation of truth slips suddenly away.
Rating (out of 5): 3.5
Review: Ok, listen, let’s keep it real. Your girl is in quar, and she is in need of some pulp that doesn’t make her think too hard, but isn’t too trashy that the plot is completely unbelievable. When I rate this a 3.5, it’s on a different scale than I rate literary fiction. Maybe one day I’ll draw my rating chart out for you…who am I kidding, no one cares!
ANYWAY, listen, ok this is not a literary masterpiece. Agatha Christie can rest ok in her grave. She will not be usurped by SA Prentiss. I’d liken this to a Lisa Scottoline book: your brain will not rot out, but you will not be any smarter for reading it. But listen! We have to add comfort to our lineup. And what comfort means to me is murder.
Prentiss’ book is a twisty suburban thriller that focuses on the whereabouts of a family on the night the town’s scion was murdered. Plenty of mystery surrounds the family’s actions, motivations, and whereabouts. Jessica appears as a likeable if slightly bland main character (actually, there’s a lot of blandness in characters here), and while many characters draw heavily on trope, I can’t complain too much about that.
There is a wicked twist at the end that elevates the book a bit, and that I didn’t see coming. Though I’ve mentioned it in trigger warnings, there is a legitimately triggering sexual assault in the book that I did not anticipate being described in detail, so be aware.
Trigger Warning: sexual assault, gun violence
TL;DR: Some absorbing thriller fluff to get you through the holiday season!
If you liked this, try:
“Someone Knows” by Lisa Scottoline (Bookshop | Kindle)
“Reconstructing Amelia” by Kimberly McCreight (Bookshop | Kindle)
“Behind Her Eyes” by Sarah Pinborough (Bookshop | Kindle)
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