Matt Brolly THE SOLSTICE

 4* Decent tale, not tons of detective work, but solid and interesting.


Being new to the series, I felt that there was enough to clue me in about the characters that I wasn't lost. Nor was I bogged down in TMI.

Quite a bit of the tale included stuff that all working mums in charge of childcare go through, especially ones just returning to work, but there seemed to be quite a bit of it. It didn't really feel like her kids were at the forefront of Louise's mind, and she didn't sound like a natural parent. She wasn't neglectful but without the babysitter, husband and grandparents, there's no way she could do this job as it needs to be. It was kind of an eye-rolling moment when talk of promotion was 'sold' as the hours being easier and more convenient. Hmm. 

The storyline itself was decent, without too many TSTL moments, and with someone who'd seemed innocuous actually one of the fanatic cult members. That was a shocker, as was the reveal of 2 identities, but not tidying up the various threads and not telling us what happened to the bad guys was a bit anticlimactic. These guys were beyond your average wrongdoers, so it felt like more was needed. Still, it was a very good read, one that I didn't want to put down. 

ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for my reading pleasure.

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