I love a good mystery/thriller‼️ Besides knowing the timeline of events this book didn’t really give historical or thriller. If anything it was a suspenseful murder mystery with a lot of twists and turns. There was also a lot of back and forth with who really committed the murder which kept me on edge. Just when you think you know who the killer is you’re wrong.

The author did well blending historical facts with fiction to perfectly capture the time period. We have a dual timeline set between 1930 and 1944 in Berkeley, California after WWII involving the death of two characters. While this wasn’t a ghost story I just knew when the death of Iris was mentioned and the doll was found in the hotel closet of Walter Wilkinson after he was murdered we’d get a haunted hotel type of vibe.

Instead we’re given backstories woven through both timelines explaining how everything and everyone is connected. The characters are well-drawn and the author masterfully uses her side characters to help build an atmosphere of tension and uncertainty around the plot. Isabella was definitely a manipulator but her grandmother was the slickest character of them all. The way she came off seemed shady and like she had something to hide.

Overall, this was pretty entertaining my only downside was the author constantly referring to the Japanese as Japs. I rolled my eyes every time she used the reference cause ma’am you’re overdoing it. But if you’re into detective style historical fiction you might enjoy this. Special thanks to the author & @minotaur_books for my gifted copy‼️

Rating: 3.5/5⭐️