I picked this up after the DNF that was In the Woods by Tana French, in the hopes of keeping this square alive and in play. I was browsing my library's Baker and Taylor rental shelves and came across this title. I decided to go for it after reading the inner jacket summary and I am so glad I did!
The story is about Edie Beckett, the now adult daughter of the female serial killer Lilith Wade, who is on death row in upstate New York. Edie was 15 years old when Lilith was arrested for the murder of six women over the course of 7 or 8 years. Edie is struggling with her mother's legacy, struggling with alcoholism, and struggling to lead a normal life. Making matters worse is Edie's older brother's mental illness issues, a true crime book written on Lilith and her crimes, and her connection to the detective who arrested her mother. To relieve stress, Edie stalks the Healing Hope online forum, a group that includes many of Lilith's victims' family members who talk with one another to work out grief and provide others support. Edie knows A LOT about these members, as she gets obsessive about knowing every detail of their lives after losing their loved one. Edie has notebooks/scrapbooks full of these details.
It was on the online forum that Edie "met" Peter, whose wife was killed by Lilith. Edie crosses the line and meets Peter under a false name, gets rip roaring drunk, goes home and has sex with Peter. She leaves his home in the early morning hours...two hours later, Peter is dead and she is the lead suspect. Edie then immediately goes underground to hide from the police and find the real killer.
This book was a rollercoaster of the best kind. The flashbacks, Edie not always sure of her memory due to her alcoholism, Edie not always sure she isn't a chip off the old block. Edie is smart and resourceful. Lilith also plays a significant role, even though she doesn't show up in the story except in flashbacks and excerpts from the true crime book. I really liked the excerpts, fitted in between the chapters. That ending was bonkers - just to say, all the content/trigger warnings! All that and a pretty HEA for Edie.
Highly recommend!
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