The Death of Us

 

The Death of Us

Lori Rader-Day

Publication Date: October 3, 2023 by William Morrow

Genre: Mystery

Rating: 4 👢👢👢👢

Summary: From the award-winning author of Death at Greenway and The Lucky One comes a chilling suspense novel in which the discovery of a submerged car in a murky pond reveals betrayals and family secrets that will tear a small town apart.

One rainy night fifteen years ago, a knock at the door changed Liss Kehoe’s life forever.

On that night, Ashley Hay stood on Liss’s front porch and handed over her brand-new baby Callan.

She was never seen or heard from again.

Since then, Liss has raised Callan as her own, and loves him as fiercely as any mother would. But in the back of her mind, she’s always wondered whether Ashley is still out there somewhere—and feared what might happen if she comes back.

When Ashley does reappear, it’s not in the way Liss expected. After all these years, Ashley’s car has been found…in the quarry pond on Kehoe property. But the discovery of the car dredges up more questions than answers. What really happened on the night of Ashley’s disappearance? Was it a tragic accident, or something far more sinister? Someone in town knows the truth, and they’ll go to great lengths to keep it quiet.

As tensions rise in the small community, Liss must fight to protect her family and keep her own secrets hidden—or risk losing everything she loves.

My thoughts: This story was expertly layered. There were some of your typical small town stereotypes used as a way to get a feel for what the main character Liss was up against. Rader-Day provided plenty of means and motive for multiple characters to be suspected of the ultimate crime. The insertion of multiple POV's, especially that of Liss's father-in-law, truly added another layer of intrigue. There was certainly an abundance of lies and deceit and the twists just kept on coming. Some of the characters didn't have any depth at all while others were truly complex. Overall an enjoyable read.