This is the second book that I chose for the October Amazon First Reads. I rarely read books that I haven’t had on my TBR list for years, that weren’t recommended to me or that I haven’t scrutinized through NetGalley before deciding whether I wanted to read them. I thought a good twisty murder mystery-type story was exactly what I needed—it is close to Halloween, after all!

Synopsis
An inheritance that comes with a warning.

Ashley Brooks’s life isn’t working out as planned. After years of struggling to make it in Hollywood, she’s still waiting for her big break. When fate leads her to the doorstep of legendary casting director Louisa Lake George, Ashley thinks her luck is about to change: the prickly old pro knows about a role she’s perfect for. The aspiring actress never gets to thank her, though, because the day after the audition, Louisa is dead. The bigger shock—she left all her money to Ashley.

Louisa’s grown children arrive stunned and ready to fight. Her nephew tries to play peacemaker, while Ashley grapples with why Louisa would leave her fortune to a stranger—and whether she should keep it. But Ashley quickly discovers everyone, including the dead woman, is hiding something, and it’s a race to get to the truth before someone else winds up dead.

My musings
This story was a whole bunch of ridiculous. I’m not sure how the writer wants you to feel about the characters, but they are all pretty much terrible in their own way—especially Louisa and Ashley. You’re not really in anyone’s corner, and as the plot twists continue to unfurl, I found myself rolling my eyes and wanting it to be over. The most sympathetic character was someone with alcohol abuse issues who spends most of the book denying that she has a problem, so that should tell you something.

If you enjoy far-fetched plots, this book might be for you, but I can’t find much to say about it because it was pretty forgettable.

2.5 STARS

“Complaining was tiresome. Revenge was much more my style.” —Susan Walter, Over Her Dead Body

Thank you to Artsy Vibes on Unsplash for the featured photo.