3.5

Not my favorite, but the ending was satisfying and there was a particularly brilliant use of a theatrical reference that plays exceptionally well on multiple levels. Worth reading if you’re into theatre, amateur sleuths, and New York stereotypes.

This novel was nothing like what I thought it would be about, in the best way.

Think: an angry NYC theater critic, Vivian, and a man trying to interview her, essentially handing her a promotion. The only problem is that Vivian was the last person to see that man alive. What happened to him? Is she involved now somehow? What lengths will Vivian go to to figure out what happened to the man, and why?

This was a wild ride, and honestly I had fun with it. Could it have ended differently? Of course. Do I think the cover matches what the author was going for? Not really. You might be rolling your eyes over this comment, but I've always said I judge actual books by their covers, and I stand by that!!!

3.5 stars rounded down

This book was basically the David Fincher movie The Game/The Truman Show where the reveal is that the entire situation the MC has been in for the duration of the book was a setup- an elaborate "art piece" orchestrated by the bitter director of a play the MC (a theater critic) maligned in a review.
I didnt see this reveal coming, but it also wasn't some shocking twist. The ending just sort of happened to me.
This book was okay. Not super exciting, and the MC was not very likeable.
3 stars.

Nice and dark, just how I like it. It was a good book. Not one that always left me wanting more, but I still liked reading it.

This author who is a prize-winning culture reporter and theater critic knows a thing or two about what they are choosing to write in their psychological thriller debut novel.

Readers are being introduced to Vivian, a Manhattan-based theater critic who isn’t quite the thoughtful reviewer. She is also mixing sex, booze and pills to quell her anxiety and grief over the loss of her mother.

As a long-term junior critic, she aspires to be a senior critic, and in the interim accepts an invitation from a grad student, David to be interviewed for his thesis. This invitation comes with an expectation to be on a panel which she hopes will help her secure a promotion from her employer.

But, once she meets David, she finds there is something off about him. And then, he disappears, and Irina his fiancé begs for Vivian to help find him. But Irina’s father, a supposed Russian mobster, is not happy about the upcoming nuptials, and suspects foul play.

So…have we been-here-before? What is really happening? What did David know about Vivian that caused her such discomfort? Did she do something to him? Did Irina’s mobster father disappear David? Will Vivian sober up and find herself?

Will readers enjoy this surveillance world, yet modern noir style read with flawed, unlikable characters?

What do you think?

3.5 stars