Eva Hanson, who lives in Whidbey Island, Washington, makes and sells beautiful decorative pottery.
Whidbey Island
However Eva is reluctant to exhibit her artwork in nearby Seattle, partly because of a terrible trauma she suffered a few years ago, which caused self-doubt and distrust. Eva now relies heavily on her fiancé Liam to take care of the bumps in her life, and Liam - a take charge kind of guy who works as property developer - is happy to do it.
Given her nervous disposition, Eva is REALLY disquieted when she wakes up in a hospital after being struck by lightning. Worse yet, Police Detective Kent Jackson tells Eva that her mother Kat was brutally murdered last night, and he makes it clear that Eva is a suspect.
Eva knows she was at her mom's house yesterday evening, but has no memory of what happened beyond flashes of a bloody scene and a knife in her hand, which she (smartly) doesn't mention to the cop.
Though Eva is woozy - and has amnesia, a lump on her head, and blistered feathery markings covering her arm (lightning-induced Lichtenberg figures) - she leaves the hospital and makes her way to her mother's house.
Lichtenberg figures
There Eva finds a letter that sends her haring off to London, where her mom Kat lived until she came to the United States.
Detective Jackson calls Eva in London, with threats to have her arrested by Interpol, but Eva refuses to return to Washington until she's completed her inquiries. And Eva makes some startling discoveries before she returns home, where she just might have to face a murder charge.
The story alternates back and forth between accounts of the past narrated by Kat, and sections about Eva's life now. It turns out that all the main protagonists in the book have big secrets, which are unveiled one by one as the story unfolds.
Other characters in the story include Eva's brother Andrew; Eva's fellow artist Melissa; Eva's childhood friend and neighbor Jacob; Kat's British employer Rose; and various men important to the tale.
The book is fast moving with plenty of action, but I do have a few quibbles.
First, I dislike stories that feature a female who puts up with a man like Liam, who expects her to defer to him about everything. Eva was too weak and submissive for a good part of the book - prattling on about how strong and reliable Liam was - and this irritated me.
Second, there are several occasions when characters make stunning discoveries, or make life-changing decisions.....and they don't have a dramatic response. It seems like they think, "Oh really," and calmly go on with their lives. This seems unrealistic.
That said, this is an enjoyable mystery/thriller. Recommended to fans of the genre.
Thanks to Netgalley, the author (Christina McDonald), and the publisher (Gallery Books) for a copy of the book.
Rating: 3 stars
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