4 Pretzels
The Sandalls have it all. Great friends, good careers, and the respect of their community. They also have a lot of secrets and will soon need to decide where their loyalties, and their moral, lie. Secrets, lies, a murder most foul, court room drama, family drama, complicated characters, handball, the struggles of working in retail, and an affair. This book has it all. It also has some rape, so tread lightly, readers.
Told in three parts from three points of view, A Nearly Normal Family is like if Spencer Hastings were an only child, Mr. Hastings was a pastor who was maybe not as morally solid as he thought, and if Veronica Hastings were Veronica Hastings. Part One is told to us from Adam, the father’s, POV. His daughter, Stella, has been arrested, suspected of murder. There’s no way she could have done it, so what’s the harm in telling a little white lie if it helps clear this whole mess up? The timeline isn’t linear. We get background on our main characters alongside the details of their present predicament. The author does a wonderful job of building tension and then, rudely, jumping timelines or changing the POV entirely.
Part Two is all Stella. She’s a teenager, so there’s a lot sneaking around and lying on her part. Like her father’s story, her timeline jumps from the present with her in jail to the past leading up to the event in question.
Part Three was, for me, the most interesting. Ulrika, the mother, is a prominent defense attorney. So you know she has a plan. One that is not revealed until the very end.
The author built tension really well, making this a page turner for me. They also had a lot to say about the justice system’s treatment of victims. It ain’t good, folks.
As a Book of the Month Club member, I got this book before the release date. You can get it today! Here’s the Amazon link. Or hit up a local bookstore. I’m sure they’d love to have your business. If you’re looking for a lighter summer read, check out our books. They’re hella fun! Check out our About page for all the Lynx & LeRoux info.
Now, I have some day drinking to so. So, byeeeeeeeee!
Smoky Lynx
Holland + Harper Productions 