Sunday Synopsis

 

Out of the Ashes by Kara Thomas
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I would have liked to give this more than three stars because the premise is interesting, but it's really only a 3 star read at best. The main character, Samantha, is back in her hometown to help her uncle take his own life (she's a nurse; he has cancer). 20-something years ago, her parents and sister were killed and her home completely burned in a fire. She was only 13 at the time and ended up living with her aunt (Michelle, also know as Mitch which was confusing) and her cousin. There is no love lost between her and the aunt and cousin, but that is beside the point.

This is a story of lies, secrets, and betrayals, which sounds like a great story-line. However, the author went off on tangents with the numerous characters, many of whom added nothing to the plot. There is a big twist at the end, but an avid reader of thrillers can probably guess at some of the details. There really was not a satisfying ending, either. Big bomb drops, no follow-up.

Maybe the author is going to write a sequel. If she does, I hope it will have fewer characters, more character development, events directly related to the conflict rather than tangential events that change nothing, and a satisfying conclusion, all of which were missing from this book. Which makes me wonder why I gave it three stars. Hmmm.

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