Our story unfolds with Grady’s conversation with his wife, Investigative journalist Abby. Grady is getting the call that he is officially a New York Times bestselling author on his latest novel. As he chats with Abby, she puts the phone down to look at a woman lying in the road, at which point she disappears off the face of the earth. The narrative then jumps to a year later, Abby is still missing and Grady can no longer write, wallowing in his grief. His literary agent, Kitty, is Abby’s godmother, and is willing to give Grady a second chance to get his life and his career back on track. He takes a ferry to a tiny island off the coast of Scotland called Amberley, population 25. He sees a woman who is the spitting image of Abby wearing the very red coat she was wearing when she disappeared. He chalks it up to grief, knowing that when you have lost someone you see them everywhere. But is that what happened?
Narrative surrounding Grady and Abby’s relationship builds a transparency and trust in their connection and the sense of his grief. As the story unfolds we learn more and more twists and turns-I am keeping this review spoiler free…..but buckle up! The local flair of Amberley is creepy and sweepingly descriptive. I love the way that Grady asks questions that an author, not an investigator, would ask. Amberley comes alive little bit by little bit, and you want to fully understand Grady’s mind. Is he losing it? But the Amberley town keeps muttering, “people always see ghosts on this island.”
A slight British accent on the male narrator. Frenzied and hurried pace as the action intensifies. Excellent Scottish accents on the Scottish characters. Short, descriptive sentences are PERFECT for audio, and the build up in this novel is filled with them. There are even a few “sound effects” telephones jangling, church bells, etc. I found this added to the story instead of detracted from it.
Thank you to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for the Audiobook ARC. Book to be published January 14, 2024.
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