Title: One of Us
Author: Tawni O’
Dell
Publisher: Gallery
Books
Publication Date: August
19, 2014
Genres: Mystery,
Psychological Thriller
Reviewed by: Angie
Edwards
Source: Publisher
via NetGalley
My rating: 5/5
SUMMARY
Dr. Sheridan Doyle, a fastidiously groomed and
TV-friendly forensic psychologist, is the go-to shrink for the Philadelphia
District Attorney's office whenever a twisted killer's mind eludes other
experts. But beneath his Armani pinstripes, he's still Danny Doyle, the
awkward, terrified, bullied boy from a blue-collar mining family, plagued by
panic attacks and haunted by the tragic death of his little sister and mental
unraveling of his mother years ago.
Returning to a hometown grappling with its own ghosts, Danny finds a dead body at the infamous Lost Creek gallows where a band of rebellious Irish miners was once executed. Strangely, the body is connected to the wealthy family responsible for the miners' deaths. Teaming up with veteran detective Rafe, a father-like figure from his youth, Danny, in pursuit of a killer, comes dangerously close to startling truths about his family, his past, and himself.
Returning to a hometown grappling with its own ghosts, Danny finds a dead body at the infamous Lost Creek gallows where a band of rebellious Irish miners was once executed. Strangely, the body is connected to the wealthy family responsible for the miners' deaths. Teaming up with veteran detective Rafe, a father-like figure from his youth, Danny, in pursuit of a killer, comes dangerously close to startling truths about his family, his past, and himself.
REVIEW
This is
the first Tawni O’ Dell novel I’ve read, and I must say I’m mightily impressed.
The only thing that slightly bothered me was the constant brand name promotions
of the clothes the two MCs were wearing, but at the same time it did manage to
convey how these two characters stood apart from the people in their childhood
hometown.
Danny
and Scarlet were both raised in dysfunctional homes. Scarlet’s character
simultaneously intrigued and repelled me, but mostly I was morbidly fascinated
by her coldhearted rationalizations. She reminded me of Amy’s character in
Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl, and I
think she was the main reason why I devoured this book. Danny is also a complex
character, but in a vastly different way from Scarlet. I liked his back story
and was captivated by the fact that his mentally unbalanced mother was accused
of murdering his one-week old sister, yet through all her years in prison and
when she was released she still maintained that the dead infant wasn’t her
daughter.
More
shocking than Scarlet’s loathsome actions are those of Danny’s father. But
actually it is an array of characters that contributed to what happened all
those many years ago before Scarlet’s nanny allegedly committed suicide; and
all of it is intricately woven into a mining town’s rich history that spans
generations. For me, this was the drawing point of the story that kept me
riveted. The reader is steadily immersed in the history of Lost Creek and
instead of one big reveal right at the end, we’re given pieces of the puzzle to
fit together throughout the story. I think the author did a magnificent job
with the construction of the plot.
I can’t
really say that I related to any of these diverse characters, or that one stood
out more for me than the other. They were all well thought out and splendidly
developed, but as much as I’d like to say this novel’s strong point is the
characters, it’s really the mystery of the murders, manipulation and identity
theft, and finally the sweet irony and justice that comes into play to put the
past to rest, that makes this book shine. One
of Us is an atmospheric psychological thriller that delivers with every
element that was neatly sown into its multi-faceted plot, and I’m looking
forward to being thrilled by more of this author’s novels!
I
received an eARC copy of One of Us by
Tawni O’ Dell from Flux via NetGalley. It was provided to me for free in return
for my honest and impartial opinion. Thank you for a wonderful read, Gallery
Books!
ABOUT the AUTHOR
Tawni O'Dell is the
New York Times bestselling author of Fragile Beasts, Sister Mine, Coal Run, and
Back Roads, which was an Oprah's Book Club pick and a Book-of-the-Month Club
Main Selection. Tawni's screen adaptation of Back Roads is currently in
development to be made into a film with Adrian Lyne set to direct. Her work has
been translated into 15 languages and been published in over 30 countries.
Tawni was born and raised in the coal-mining region of western Pennsylvania, the territory she writes about with such striking authenticity. She graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in journalism and spent many years living in the Chicago area before moving back to Pennsylvania where she now lives with her two children.
Tawni was born and raised in the coal-mining region of western Pennsylvania, the territory she writes about with such striking authenticity. She graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in journalism and spent many years living in the Chicago area before moving back to Pennsylvania where she now lives with her two children.
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