by Gilly MacMillan

A Mystery/Thriller, 2025 by William Morrow, 496 Pages 

What I Didn’t Like:

• The opening introduces a lot of characters at once who are similar. It can be difficult to remember who is who at first.
• Why is the piece of fabric so important? You’re told why it’s supposed to be but I had difficulty believing that would be so important (worth killing over) to two different groups. 
• The build up is very slow. It does eventually hit a fast moving point, but the uneven pacing makes it cumbersome. 

What I Did Like:

• The back half of the book has a sort of Da Vinci Code vibe with clues and the decoding. That’s always fun! 
• I liked the rather obvious message about different “types” of women coming together. 
• Anya is a good character. She’s intelligent and confident, which I really liked. She made a lot of smart choices, unlike a lot of women in mystery/thrillers, and I appreciated that. 

Who Should Read This One:

• Fans of puzzle style books who also like strong feminist notions in their books.

My Rating: 3 Stars