This was one of the books that kickstarted my latest reading binge. In the beginning, I found the story only mildly interesting and was reading only solely because I felt like I had to. The writing was smooth and introduced an enigmatic character who is alone and harbours a secret past. I had to give him a chance. It quietly led me to become very invested in what this man was doing.
On the flip side, the one thing that should not be studied too closely was the serendipity involved that brought Murphy to be involved in the first place as well as some later introductions, all too timely. The credit is given to a higher power, and that was believable because it went with the story.
In the mood that I was in, one other thing stuck out to me—the geographical descriptions of the location at all times. I have seen this often in some books written by men, and since I am not personally very vested in that specific aspect, I tend to skim those parts. There are multiple boat chases, and in each case, we always know the position of all the boats involved, every time there is a change. (e.g.: right turns,left turns etc.). That said the emotional quotient was pretty high. Everyone from the dog (especially the dog) to the last man in our little circle of misfits made at least one move during the story that had me tearing up.
It is a thriller of sorts, with Murphy and the gang on the hunt for a missing girl and some extra secrets. But more importantly, the book is about the very three dimensional characters. Some twists I saw coming, but that did not bother me in the least. It was still fun to watch it unfold.
I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.
Superfluous Reading 