This is a book that has been hailed as a new Hitchcock, an updated twist on Strangers on a Train, a novel up there with books by such authors as Gillian Flynn. I was given a copy at an ALA convention, and later saw write ups everywhere singing its praises.
For the first part of the book, I honestly wasn't sure all the accolades were deserved. The beginning of the book was good, don't get me wrong, but it didn't read as particularly different from a lot of other stories. Lily and Ted meet in an airport bar, and end up being on the same flight. Ted tells Lily that his wife is having an affair, and that he wishes he could kill her. Lily says it's possible. Interesting, well-written, but nothing new in the word of psychological thrillers.
But then the second part of the book began, and turned everything I thought I knew on its head. And then the third part began, and flipped everything on me again. The book successfully, beautifully, tricked me, over and over again. Just when I was getting comfortable, thinking I knew what was going on, the story twisted again.
Swanson brilliantly plays with his readers, and this book packs a punch. Once you get to the end of the first part, you won't be able to put the book down again.
4/5 stars
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