|
Thomas
has just moved to a new town when his mother married a local
cop. Now, two weeks later, he is about to attend her funeral.
Charlotte
is attracted to the grief stricken boy she meets outside the
church. But offering her help with his tie proves to be a
mistake. The boy pushes back, an instinctive reaction, when
she touches his neck. The touch is a reminder of the swollen
neck of his strangled mother. Immediately, one of Charlotte's
brothers is upon him. Before he can understand what just happened,
he is taken to jail again.
He was
taken to the police station, as a suspect, the day his mother
died. As it happens, when Thomas found his mother's body,
he was the only one in the house and the doors were locked.
That's why the police (including Charlotte's father and brothers,
and maybe even Stan, Thomas's stepfather) suspect he is the
killer.
Did Thomas
kill his mother? Neither the reader (Thomas is one of the
narrators, and he tells us convincingly he didn't do it) nor
Charlotte believes it. Despite her family's opposition, Charlotte
will meet with Thomas and together search for the truth.
What
they find is a most shocking revelation that turns the story
on its head.
Thomas
is a compelling character and I enjoyed his journey, both
internal and external. As for Charlotte, I would have liked
her to be more assertive. Their relationship seemed a little
forced but, I have the impression, that this book will have
a sequel where their intense connection will be explained.
Although
the book allows for a sequel, the mystery is solved by the
end and the story does not leave us with a cliffhanger, but
with two characters I would like to meet again and a plotline
intriguing enough to make me want to come back for more.
|
