ARC Book Review: The Boy at the Door by Alex Dahl

Release Date: July 24, 2018
Publisher: Berkley
Format: ebook
Pages: 368 pages
Genre:  Mystery/ Thriller
Buy: Kindle | Paperback

Synopsis: 

Cecilia Wilborg has it all--a loving husband, two beautiful daughters and a gorgeous home in the affluent Norwegian town of Sandefjord. And she works hard to keep it all together. Too hard. Because one mistake from her past could bring it all crashing down around her.

Annika Lucasson lives a dark life with her abusive, drug-dealing boyfriend. She's lost everything one too many times and now she's got one last chance to save herself, thanks to Cecilia. Annika knows her secret--and just how much she's willing to do to make it all go away...

When someone forgets to pick up their little boy at the local pool, Cecilia agrees to take him home, only to find an abandoned, empty house. It's the first step in the unraveling of her meticulously crafted life, as her and Annika's worlds collide.

Review:

I love Scandinavian mysteries...they are usually dark, gloomy and slower paced than most American mysteries and they don't always have tidy endings.  This book definitely fits the bill but I really struggled with the characters.  Its saying something when you have more compassion for the abused drug dealer than you do for the well off society girl.

Cecilia is a calculating, society climber who is scared to lose her social position. She loves her family but isn't very happy.  She is stressed out, privileged and always popping pills. Annika has struggled with addiction most of her life including her addiction to her abusive boyfriend who she keeps going back to no matter how horrible he is to her or for her.  Trapped in the middle of these women is Tobias a sweet 8 year old boy who has seen more in his young life than he ever should. I think my heart broke for this little boy over and over as I read this book and the ending left me as cold as if I had fallen through the ice on a river. There is no tidy ending to this one and you are left wondering where does everyone go from here. I think I may have enjoyed it more with just a little more of a wrap up at the end I was very invested in Tobias by the end and to leave things as Dahl did leaves me needing closure.

Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

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