Or Else

I absolutely loved Obscura by Joe Hart, so when I saw that there was a new book coming - and a thriller- I was in. I'm glad to report it lived up to my hype. Andy is an author who has moved home to care for his dad, who is in the early stages of dementia. The problem is- he's struck up an affair with the woman down the street. He hasn't really seen her since they were kids, and when it becomes clear she's not happy, sparks fly. Unfortunately, she's married, and her husband turns up dead. Oops. Guess who the suspect is? 

Before all this, though, a note is delivered to Andy warning him to break off the affair. Who knows about them? Could be anyone on their street. And then Rachel and her kids go missing (don't worry, this is all in the blurb) so our intrepid author has to figure out what's happening. He has a little help, though. Well, maybe.   

I enjoyed this so much. It's fairly short and even though I envisioned enjoying this over a few nights, I devoured it in one sitting. I've seen mixed reviews so maybe it's not for everyone, but I really enjoyed the author's takes on things- like who to trust. The author of course is writing a protagonist who is also an author- fun- and there's even a side character who plays on that. 

I really felt for the dad and the sister- Kel- I was pulling for the family. There's humor here as well, mixed in with some bittersweet personal stuff- the author can really pull off the combo of making you laugh and having you think about deep stuff at the same time. I was tense as well a few times- there's a particularly harrowing sequence where I was on the edge of my seat.  

I'd be remiss though in not pointing out one gripe- the protagonist makes some questionable decisions. A few times I was like nooo- don't make that decision. Or when people don't tell relevant information to others- I hate that. Especially if it puts someone at risk. So I had those issues a bit. Otherwise though this was a fun, fabulous read, and the chilling bit at the end- icing on the cake.