This was such a sick, twisted, and wild chase story. Although it started on a slow note and took a minute to build momentum, it picked up speed pretty soon.

This compact novel begins with its protagonist, Mackenzie Casper, while she attends her mother’s funeral and notices the strange behavior of her father, Ben Casper. It’s already overwhelming for her to be there for her world-famous author mother, E. V. Renge’s funeral, but it’s equally daunting to be in the presence of an overpowering grandmother like Evelyn Casper.

However, things start unraveling for Mackenzie when she begins receiving her mother’s letters. It looks like her mother is reaching out to her from beyond the grave and trying to amend the indifferent attitude with which she brought up her daughter. Soon enough, Mackenzie starts noticing weird similarities between her mother’s letters and her first two novels, which puts her on the path to investigate her mother’s mysterious past. Her dear friend, EJ, is her confidant and loyal supporter in her search for the truth.

Eventually, that search brings them to her mother’s old university town called Old Bow in Nebraska, where they meet a significant person from E. V. Renge, aka Elizabeth Casper’s, past. That meeting proves pivotal in finding out the truth behind her mother’s life and death.

As I said before, it’s an exhilarating, fast-paced story presented in a compact novel. Even though this is author Iliana Xander’s first book, it’s not evident in her sharp writing and crisp plotline. It’s such a breeze to finish this book in one go and perfectly suitable for a weekend binge-reading session.

This post is based on the ARC copy provided by NetGalley.