Review: Right Behind You

Title: Right Behind You
Author: Lisa Gardner
Publication Date: January 31, 2017
Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Suspense/Psychological
Recommended If You Like: family drama, mysteries with action

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.

The Book:

Some might find it ironic that Sharlah is on the cusp of being adopted by two people involved in law enforcement. After all, eight years ago her older brother, Telly, killed their drunk and abusive father with a baseball bat. While he did it to save Sharlah's life, they haven't seen each other since the incident.

But when a spree shooter seemingly goes on a rampage, and video footage captures Telly on the scene with a gun. Sharlah must face her past, face her brother, and decide what their future holds.

What I Liked:

This book had a lot of suspense. Flashbacks to eight years ago kept me wondering what had truly happened that night and what it meant about Telly and Sharlah. The search for Telly in the present was well-plotted out as well, involving everyone from trackers to profilers, which also kept the suspense up. There was one particular twist near the end that, even though it was small, had me gasping out loud with how well Gardner had tricked me.

I also really liked the relationship between Sharlah and her soon to be adoptive parents Quincy and Rainie. While these are reoccurring characters in a series I had not previously read, I still felt very invested in them and their story.

Anything I Didn't Like?

The ending got a little confusing for me. It felt like Gardner had all these ideas for directions the story could go and put them all in. I appreciated that she wanted to take the idea of a "family drama" and really run with it in a unique direction, but the last third of the book could get hard to follow.

So...?

This is a gripping read that will keep you in suspense. I wish the ending was a bit stronger and a bit clearer, but this was still a book I couldn't put down.