Published September 2024 via Amazon Original Stories
It's supposed to be a fresh start—a new romance, a sprawling mansion, an easier life. And it is...at first.
I was just eyeing a Lisa Unger book at the library (literally, it's the next tab open on my browser), so it felt like perfect timing when this short story (novella? what's the cutoff?) turned up. This hits a lot of classic notes, from the isolated house to the creepy dolls. (Fortunately these are themes that I enjoy in a mystery!)
There aren't a lot of surprises here, I think largely because it's a short story with (again) a lot of those classic notes; there isn't a lot of room for guessing or red herrings, and almost as soon as the characters know something is wrong, they're rushing to resolve it. I enjoyed this as a short story/novella, but I'd enjoy it more as something full length—something where we see more of the house unfold, where Vivi gets creepier as time goes on, where there's more time to raise the stakes.
Recommended to those who want something short and straightforward, without too many twists. As I think this would be a better fit for me in a longer format...it might be time for me to find one of Unger's full-length books to read after all.
Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.
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