So here I am, standing over two dead bodies, surveying the blood splatter, wondering if I’ll ever be able to find wallpaper this pretty again. It’s like two paths diverged in a wood. I know this isn’t a Robert Frost poem, but bear with me, it’s my favorite, and at this moment, my mind is going to strange places.
July 22, 2021
Dear Mr. Hemingway,
Today is a GREAT DAY! One of my favorite/go to authors has a new book out and I had the pleasure of getting an early peek at it. Passerby (Out Today), by the lovely Britney King was my perfect Saturday night read. King never fails to thrill me with her suspenseful tales and her latest did not disappoint. Small town living and dead bodies wrapped in a bit of southern charm is what’s on tap today my literary friend. Grab an ice coffee and your sunnies….the heat is on!
I personally find thrillers tricky to talk about without spoiling all the juicy surprises. Because of this, I am sharing just the basic storyline and will tell you why it worked for me. Jester Falls is the quintessential small town where you went to kindergarten with the local police officer and there is a life long feud between two of the big families in town. Ruth Channing was born and raised here with her brothers and runs the Magnolia House, the most popular bed and breakfast around. One of her brothers comes home with a random girlfriend that he quickly decides to marry. Ruth is on to her though. After some digging around, she discovers that her sister-in-law, to be, has been lying about her name and her past. To make matters worse, mysterious murders are happening under foot leaving Ruth suspicious and concerned for her family’s well being and the livelihood of The Magnolia House.
It sounds lovely. But it wasn’t all fun and games. It takes an incredible amount of strength to hold a person under the water against their will. Thankfully, not nearly as much to entice them to get sloppy drunk. If you can imagine that, the rest is easy.
Now let me share with you the really good stuff. The story is narrated by Ruth and the anonymous Passerby. Let me just add real quick that I LOVE an undisclosed narrator. Talk about fast paced and keeping me guessing !!! King immediately presents two dead bodies and someone struggling with what to do about it right out of the gate. What I quickly learned was that King was teasing me with a scene that happens later on in the book, hooking me and reeling me in to the finish line. The characters in Passerby weren’t exactly loveable, but instead hardened and even layered for that matter (side-effect of small town living). As I was trying to figure out who was responsible for the different murders, I can honestly say, I was STUMPED! King threw me of course every step of the way and having that secret narrator made the journey way more fun. In case you are wondering, yes there are murders and a few dead bodies, but the story is not overly graphic. Passerby moves at a speedy pace, so plan on reading this in as close to one sitting as possible. I promise, it’s easy to do.
Enjoy this stellar read!
Your Biggest Fan,
Kelly
P.S. See what I had to say about some of Britney King’s other books.
***I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are 100% my own. If I don’t like it…I don’t share it!
