Publisher’s Summary:
A heart-pounding novel of unspeakable crimes and unforgivable sins from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Sound of Rain.
Homicide detective Nicole Foster has finally balanced an unsteady life and is anxious for a second chance. There’s no better place to start over than at the beginning―back at her childhood home on the Washington coast, where’s she raising her niece and keeping an eye on her increasingly fragile father. But Nicole’s past is never truly behind her―not when a disturbing new case stirs dark memories of the haunting investigation that shattered her career.
In the middle of the hottest August in a century, a toddler is found dead inside a parked car. Her father says he forgot her. It’s an unthinkable crime. And for Nicole, it’s made all the more unbearable by her own suffocating secrets―those shared by an old rival who has reappeared from the shadows and is pushing Nicole to the edge once again.
Now, wherever the truth lies, solving this case and avenging an unforgivable death is the most important move in Nicole’s career. But to see it through to the end, how far is she willing to go? And what is she prepared to risk this time?
Characters:
Nicole Foster: protagonist and police detective; raising her young niece, Emma, after Stacy disappeared
Allie Tomlinson: one year old baby girl who died after her father “forgot” about her and left her in the car while he was at work
Luke Tomlinson: Allie’s father
Mia Tomlinson: Allie’s mother; nursing student
Carrie Ann: Emma’s babysitter
Stacy: Nicole’s narcissistic sister and Emma’s mother; responsible for the “accidental” deaths of
Carter: Nicole’s police partner; interested romantically in Nicole; sweet; divorced father of three, a little older than Nicole
Angelina: IT guru for the PD; intelligent and dry
Debra: unfortunate daycare owner; functioning alcoholic
Brooklyn: works for Debra; underage; has a sexual relationship with Luke
Sam Underwood: twenty-something; McDonald’s employee who had a sexual relationship with Luke
Rachel: Luke’s co-worker, has a sexual relationship with Luke
Shelby: Nicole and Emma’s elderly dachshund
My take:
I am tired of Nicole and Stacy… SO tired. Nicole’s internal dialogues get very long and dull. Stacy is such a narcissist. There was a lot of blah blah blah from Nicole that I didn’t think was necessary. I feel like Nicole repeated and repeated and repeated herself, just worded in different ways. Nicole is two shakes away from whiny. I got very tired of her saying internally what she should have said out loud. You’re grown, Sis. Speak up.
I don’t like either Stacy or Nicole and hope there isn’t a third installment in this series. I would be forced to read it and I don’t want to. I did like the character additions of Carter and Angelina. I’d like to have wine and dinner with them.
My take on this book may be a feral response to the subject matter. I’m not objective when it comes to killing babies, narcissists, and shitty relationships.
Y’all know I’m all about endings, and this one was acceptable. That’s why it gets three stars.
Pretty Colors Unabridged 