Synopsis

Beth, Portia, and Eddie Morgan haven’t all been together in years. And for very good reasons—we’ll get to those later. But when their wealthy grandfather dies and leaves a cryptic final message in his wake, the siblings and their respective partners must come together for a cross-country road trip to fulfill his final wish and—more importantly—secure their inheritance.

But time with your family can be tough. It is for everyone.

It’s even harder when you’re all keeping secrets and trying to forget a memory, a missing person, an act of revenge, the man in the black truck who won’t stop following your car—and especially when at least one of you is a killer and there’s a body in the trunk. Just to name a few reasons.

But money is a powerful motivator. It is for everyone.

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Review

This is the second time this week I’ve read the second book from a newish author and wondered if they could live up to their first book.  The answer? Yes she can.

The story seems innocuous enough, three siblings on a road trip to fulfill their grandfather’s wishes per his will.  Actually, it is the same trip they took with their grandfather as children.  If you traveled as a child, you probably are thinking about a fun filled trip, well as the story goes on we learn it wasn’t quite what one would expect to experience.  The crazy museums, dive hotels, and twists I did not expect.

“Because I could.”

This line is spoken by multiple characters and while it seems like a harmless statement, it is not.  I can’t remember how many of the characters said this line, but I remember at least two, maybe three.  It is a justification for their actions.

I think this whole family was twisted in one way or another. The family was raised playing the game Risk.  If you are not familiar with this game, it is one where you strategize, create alliances, and more to take over the world in the game. You may think you can trust your family, but when it came to this game, no one trusted anyone.

“As much as I hated it, that time lying was easier because you’ve got to pick your battles. That’s a Risk thing. You can’t fight everyone all the tie, you’ll just lose your whole army.  Now that I think about it, maybe I am living pretty authentically. It’s just the Risk version.”

Beth is the narrator of this story and just when I thought I understood her she would throw a curveball and challenge what I thought I knew to be true. Along with her siblings on this trip are two spouses. Eddie’s wife Krista and Beth’s husband Felix.

I can’t share too many details since I do not want to give away some of the plot twists, but just when I was settling into a groove with the story and characters, something would happen that would turn everything upside down.  Then there would be another plot twist, another unexpected action by the characters, and so forth.  The ending?  OMG, I did not expect that to occur.  I also wanted to throw my Kindle across the room because the author leaves you hanging wondering what the final outcome is with all of the characters.  I have my suspicions but the author truly does leave it up to the reader.

This author is one I will continue to read and I wonder what she might be working on next that will turn us on our ears.  We give this book 5 paws up.

About the Author

Samantha Downing currently lives in New Orleans, where she is furiously typing away at her next thrilling novel.

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