Review – Not What She Seems by Yasmin Angoe
Synopsis
She left home as the local pariah at twenty-two, but when a family tragedy brings her back, she must confront her tortured past—and a new danger in town that no one seems to understand but her.
After years of self-exile, Jacinda “Jac” Brodie is back in Brook Haven, South Carolina. But the small cliffside town no longer feels like home. Jac hasn’t been there since the beloved chief of police fell to his death—and all the whispers said she was to blame.
That chief was Jac’s father.
Racked with guilt, Jac left town with no plans to return. But when her granddad lands in the hospital, she rushes back to her family, bracing herself to confront the past.
Brook Haven feels different now. Wealthy newcomer Faye Arden has transformed the notorious Moor Manor into a quaint country inn. Jac’s convinced something sinister lurks beneath Faye’s perfect exterior, yet the whole town fawns over their charismatic new benefactor. And when Jac discovers one of her granddad’s prized possessions in Faye’s office, she knows she has to be right.
But as Jac continues to dig, she stumbles upon dangerous truths that hit too close to home. With not only her life but also her family’s safety on the line, Jac discovers that maybe some secrets are better left buried.
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Review
I enjoy a good suspense/thriller novel, and this one had many upsides. Set in a small town, we see how much the town citizens do not like Jacinda. They believe she killed her father. Heck, even she thinks that she killed her father. It isn’t until the end that we learn the truth of what happened that night.
Jac is a very flawed character. She also makes poor decisions from page one. She is an educated woman but doesn’t stop to think that maybe she needs to have proof before accusing someone of something and shouldn’t go off half-cocked. This does not help her case in the least. I didn’t understand why her mother was so hard on her, but we do find out more about her mother’s past, which explains a lot.
There are some twists near the end that are surprising. I definitely didn’t see those coming.
I do feel like the book was about 50 pages too long. Jac has too much angst, and it detracted from the storyline. However, I did like uncovering the mystery of what her grandfather was working on and Jac’s determination to solve the case.
We give the book 3 1/2 paws up.
About the Author
Yasmin Angoe is the Anthony Award-nominated author of the critically acclaimed Nena Knight Series, including Her Name is Knight, They Come at Knight, and It Ends with Knight. NOT WHAT SHE SEEMS is Angoe’s first work of domestic psychological suspense. Yasmin’s Knight Series have been featured in The New York Times, Oprah Daily, The Guardian, PopSugar, and the Woman’s World book club, and the series is currently in development for TV by Ink Factory & Fifth Season.
Yasmin is the recipient of the 2020 Eleanor Taylor Bland Award for Emerging Writers of Color and has been nominated for the Anthony Awards and the Library of Virginia’s People’s Choice Award. She is a proud member of several prestigious organizations, such as Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, Crime Writers of Color, International Thriller Writers, and the Women’s National Book Association.
Hailing from Northern Virginia, Yasmin Angoe is a first-generation Ghanaian American who grew up in two cultural worlds. She taught English in middle and high schools for years and served as an instructional coach for virtual teachers. She now writes fiction fulltime and freelances as a development editor. Yasmin lives in South Carolina with her husband their four children.
