Review by Booklist Review
This eleventh novel of psychological suspense from best-selling author Gaylin will delight fans with a theme of family ties and dark secrets, similar to her previous book, Edgar finalist If I Die Tonight (2018), and with another cast of intensely defined characters. In 1976, teenage murderers April Cooper and Gabriel LeRoy took 12 lives before perishing in a fire, an appropriate end for a Bonnie and Clyde-like duo described as two dry sticks rubbing together, insistently enough to create a lethal flame. Forty years later, Quentin Garrison, a young true-crime podcast producer, undertakes a project he plans to call Closure, which will examine the impact of Cooper and LeRoy's crimes on the victims' survivors, of which he is, indirectly, one. When investigating the possibility that April is still alive in the person of Renee Diamond, he encounters Renee's daughter, Robin, whose perfect childhood makes it seem unlikely that her mother was a serial killer. But who is Nicola/Nikki/Co-Co Crane? An addictive and complex tale related through the experiences of April, Quentin, and Robin, with multiple startling conclusions.--Jane Murphy Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this uneven thriller from Edgar finalist Gaylin (If I Die Tonight), Quentin Garrison, the interviewer for Closure, an L.A.-based podcast on the ongoing impact of murder, knows too well the lasting damage of a brutal crime. His mother's younger sister was shot to death in 1976 at age four by teen killers April Cooper and Gabriel LeRoy. In an effort to resolve his own pain, Quentin interviews his estranged grandfather about the shooting, setting into motion events that result in the death of a man in New York. Quentin begins to suspect that April may still be alive and leading a quiet life in suburbia. He confronts April's daughter, columnist Robin Diamond, with his suspicions, causing them both to question just how well they know the ones they love. Despite a gripping beginning that combines the crimes of the past with the best and worst of present-day mass media-instant exposure, fame, and trolls-the plot eventually falters under the weight of its own twists. Hopefully, Gaylin will return to form next time. Agent: Deborah Schneider, Gelfman Schneider Literary. (July) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
What if everything you knew about your parents was a lie? That is what successful film columnist Robin Diamond must consider when a stranger enters her life asking surprising questions. Quentin Garrison, a popular NPR podcast producer, is doing research for his podcast Closure, which focuses on the Bonnie and Clyde-esque killing spree in 1976 by two teenagers named April Cooper and Gabriel LeRoy, dubbed the "Inland Empire Killers." A tip line confession leads Quentin to Robin in an attempt to locate her mother. The idea that her suburban mom was associated with the cold-blooded killers whose story had been featured in a made-for-TV movie seems ludicrous to Robin, but she begins to question her truths. Quentin's dedication to Closure is personal since a relative was a casualty in the two-week killing spree many decades ago. As Robin and Quentin independently pursue the truth, seeking answers in this true crime mystery, they uncover deeply buried secrets that threaten to endanger them and those close to them. VERDICT Mystery and true crime aficionados will delight in piecing together the puzzle in Edgar winner Gaylin's (If I Die Tonight) deliciously twisty novel. [See Prepub Alert, 1/23/19.] --Mary Todd Chesnut, Northern Kentucky Univ. Lib., Highland Heights
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A young man seeking catharsis probes old wounds and unleashes fresh pain in this expertly crafted stand-alone from Edgar finalist Gaylin (If I Die Tonight, 2018, etc.).Quentin Garrison is an accomplished true-crime podcaster, but it's not until his troubled mother, Kate, fatally overdoses that he tackles the case that destroyed his family. In 1976, teenagers Gabriel LeRoy and April Cooper murdered 12 people in Southern CaliforniaKate's little sister includedbefore dying in a fire. Kate's mother committed suicide, and her father withdrew, neglecting Kate, who in turn neglected Quentin. Quentin intends for Closure to examine the killings' ripple effects, but after an interview with his estranged grandfather ends in a fight, he resolves to find a different angle. When a source alleges that April is alive and living in New York as Renee Bloom, Quentin is dubious, but efforts to debunk the claim only uncover more supporting evidence, so he flies east to investigate. Renee's daughter, online film columnist Robin Diamond, is preoccupied with Twitter trolls and marital strife when Quentin calls to inquire about her mom's connection to April Cooper. Robin initially dismisses Quentin but, upon reflection, realizes she knows nothing of Renee's past. Before she can ask, a violent home invasion hospitalizes her parents and leaves Robin wondering whom she can trust. Artfully strewn red herrings and a kaleidoscopic narrative heighten tension while sowing seeds of distrust concerning the characters' honesty and intentions. Letters from April to her future daughter written mid-crime spree punctuate chapters from Quentin's and Robin's perspectives, humanizing her and Gabriel in contrast with sensationalized accounts from Hollywood and the media.A mind-bending mystery, an insightful exploration of parent-child relationships, and a cautionary tale about bitterness and blame. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
