Top positive review
4.0 out of 5 starsAnother excellent Moriarty novel
Reviewed in Australia on 28 September 2021
This one is about a tennis family and as sport isn’t my thing I was dubious at first. However, when the materfamilias disappears and it looks as though the paterfamilias might be responsible and the four very different adult kids plus Detective Khoury and her offsider struggle to figure it out, things become very interesting. Turns out that a young woman claiming to be fleeing domestic violence who ended up living with the mum and dad is more than a bit disturbed. What Moriarty does very well is show how a long marriage can be patches of light and dark and she’s particularly good at demonstrating inter generational trauma and its effects. There are also some good chuckle moments, like the receptionist eavesdropping on a phone conversation because her hearing is very good, “which was not her fault “. Like other authors now, care is taken to present characters from a variety of ethnic backgrounds as well, which is refreshing. I’d have to re-read the previous books to see if this is true, but my feeling is that this one is sharper-edged than her previous work. There’s a lot of astute observation of the human condition here. Enjoyed it a lot.
