
I do not know what made me pick this book up originally, but it was a satisfying read. I use the word satisfying loosely, given the content and the revelations in the book. The turns the story takes are not for the faint of heart, and I advise caution in venturing into the town of Milton if you are uncomfortable with reprehensible behaviour.
I usually lean towards happier books, but in this case, I am glad I stuck with the story because it was well done. The story starts straightforwardly enough with the background of the town of Milton and the men in charge. The evils of power are the running theme throughout the book.
At the centre of it all, we have the Brown family, the four kids brought up by Milton’s most powerful man. The ‘boys’ left their hometown as soon as they could while the sisters stayed back. Everything starts when the most ‘normal’ of the four does something unexpected. The brothers come back to town, and once there, start to question things they took for granted. In the beginning, it is just people talking, but cracks begin to show in the facade, and each probe reveals something entirely unsettling for the people with a conscience.
After a point, any regular reader of this genre can figure out certain parts of the ending (maybe the whole). Despite this, and because it is a quick read, it still makes for a little troublesome but overall good book.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.