Review: Good Mystery! Bad Husband. Complex Plot
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 14, 2014
At the start of this story, we see a woman afraid - Olivia - who is totally controlled by her husband, Robert. When he's away at work, he has  scheduled surveillance via online "FaceTime" conversations. He has steps to make certain she's exactly where she's supposed to be - always.  The Reader can see that Robert's obsessive (or even psychotic) nature exerts itself regularly in managing Olivia's total life. And as enforcement, he uses the strongly-implied threat of endangering her children (2 of which are his as well) as leverage to ensure her obedience. Observing this frightening situation, the Reader knows it will take a lot of surreptitious planning for Olivia to escape.Robert is easily able to ensure that Olivia appears to be unstable; after all, she has had a tough life: her first husband "disappeared" (assumed to have run off to Australia), and quite soon after, both her parents die in their sleep, due to a freakish malfunction in their home.But Olivia's guiding force is her children's safety, and it is THAT concern which keeps her reasonably grounded through all of Robert's nasty maneuvering and tricks.This story has a complex plot, with some unexpected twists and turns. Other reviewers have said that there are too many characters, but I don't think so.  I felt that the supporting characters were fine. I particularly liked her war hero friend, Sophie.  I'd enjoy Sophie in a story of her own; she has quite a feisty and brazenly brave personality.I admit to getting a bit confused as to the last part and resolution of this book, and I am still not 100% certain I've followed ALL the details, ploys and maneuvers correctly. Still, it was an intriguing and satisfying read, with enough puzzlement to keep any mystery fan entertained.