5 stars NL Hinkens is a pro at building suspense and mystery in a novel. This book is no exception, as she introduces Doug and Allison, the “happily married” couple celebrating their ten-year-wedding anniversary aboard a cruise. While boarding, they meet Sophia and Cody, a couple celebrating their fourteen-year anniversary the following day. In no small part, due to Sophia’s outgoing and tenacious personality, they end up spending almost all of their time together and Sophia and Allison form a friendship. The author drops hints along the way for the reader to follow—an oversized hat, Doug’s insistence that Allison pack the antidepressants she no longer takes just in case (although it shows a lack of understanding on both of their parts because antidepressants don’t work that way), Doug’s effusive displays of affection, Allison’s confusion and apparent attempted suicide. If you've read any of her books before, you’ll be anticipating any number of possibilities, but simply knowing she’s planning to misdirect you isn’t enough to prevent the misdirection. The story is told from varying third-person POVs—Allison, Rob, Sophia, Detective Mendoza, Misty, and Doug—each revealing hints and/or misdirecting the reader’s suspicions. Many of the characters are hiding their true selves beneath the surface, which is no surprise since this is a psychological mystery. In the end, the characters you may have perceived as weak or villainous are not what they present outwardly. Nothing is quite how it seems. August 7, 2020
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