Reviewed by Christy
Lindsay is a 33 year old magazine
fact checker in New York City. She has a couple of close friends but her dating
life is essentially non-existent (besides an occasional hook up with a
commitment-phobe). She’s lost all contact with her friend group from her early
20s and since her current best friend is married with a baby on the way,
Lindsay feels herself slipping further and further into isolation.
Lindsay finds herself contacting one
of her old friends Sarah from the early days in order to catch up and
reconnect. They end up discussing Edie, Lindsay’s best friend when she was 23
who died by suicide 10 years ago. Sarah always felt suspicious about Edie’s
death, the discussion of which sends Lindsay down an investigative rabbit hole
that will threaten her own life. Unfortunately, there are big gaps in Lindsay’s
memories thanks to her early 20s drinking binges. So she uses her fact checking
expertise to dig deeper.
The first half of Bartz’s novel is
very, very slow. I understand that set up is important but it seemed to just
drag a little too much, and I started to get restless. Fortunately, it does
start to pick up and the last half is pretty enjoyable. Lindsay can sometimes
be a mopey mess but I also sympathized with her. She feels like the pitied
single friend and her old insecurities bubble up to the surface even though she
thinks she’s too old for that. (Like a “thumb on a bruise” as Bartz describes
it.) The mystery itself isn’t revolutionary but it’s entertaining and a little
pulpy, and that’s just fine with me. It was also fun to read about someone
exactly my own age.
I enjoyed this novel for the most
part. If you think you can handle the sluggish build up, the second half makes
up for it and makes this ideal for a lazy, beach read.
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