Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin’s Press | Minotaur Books, and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the debut novel by Kelsey Cox. The audiobook was fantastic because of the perfect narration by the full cast of Dan Bittner, Kate Handford, Pearl Hewitt, Saskia Maarleveld, and Suzy Jackson. All opinions expressed in this review are my own – 4.5 stars rounded up!
Today is Sophie Matthews’s sixteenth birthday party, an exclusive black-tie bash in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. Sophie’s dad has spared no expense, and his renovated cliffside mansion—once thought haunted—is now hosting the event of the season. Then, just before the candles on the three-tiered red velvet cake are blown out, a body falls from the balcony onto the starlit dance floor below.
Bravo for a wonderful debut novel and fabulous audiobook production! I was instantly intrigued by this story, told in different POV from Sophie’s mother, stepmother, her best friend, and the nanny for Sophie’s new stepsister, as well as in an 11-hour timeline of before, during, and after the party. These women are all keeping secrets from each other and themselves, and none is a reliable narrator. It’s a locked-room mystery that left me questioning so many and I never saw the ending coming. There’s even a touch of superstition and folklore, as the house has the reputation of being haunted. I can’t wait to read more from this author!
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