Published February 2026 via Amazon Original Stories
In another life, Astrid Lane was a model married to a rock star. Then things came crashing down—his affairs, mostly, but also a mysterious death with numerous open questions. Decades later, Astrid is living a much quieter life, working as a caterer and struggling to pay the bills...but when even her daughter starts asking questions, Astrid can't help but get involved.
This short story made for a very quick read, though in a way that also felt a bit rushed. We learn a bit about Astrid's earlier life (meeting her rock star husband, flashing forward to the relationship not working out as she hoped) plus of course the present day. A lot less about the mysterious death; the woman who died is little more than a name. There's a brief threat against Astrid, a briefer worry about what uncovering the past might lead to; and then basically a jump to the conclusion. Ultimately I think the brief length of this story is working against it; there's enough time to get interested in the various threads of the story but not enough time to explore any of them in depth.
I'm also, if I'm honest, uncomfortable with the way Astrid's (ex) husband, Callum, is portrayed so positively. When Astrid first has a conversation with him (in the backstory part of things), his manager has just sexually assaulted Astrid. Callum's reaction boils down to "yeah, he's an asshole but good with money, so I keep him around", and...I guess Callum's non-apology is supposed to be enough to make it okay that he willingly associates with this abusive sleazeball. (As I write this, the news is full of revalations from the Epstein files. Callum isn't responsible for somebody else's actions, no, but who one willingly associates with—and what one knows about one's associates' actions—is telling.) And yet Callum is portrayed throughout as someone who is still dynamic, whose fatal flaw is that he's not faithful; he's portrayed of someone deserving of sympathy for eventually being held ever so slightly accountable for his ongoing relationship/friendship with the manager.
So...has its moments but did not have the substance or space to be really satisfying.
(One thing I did find funny: When Astrid's daughter discusses where an article could be published, she mentions <i>The New York Times</i>, <i>The Sunday Times</i>, and <i>The Daily Mail</i>...how the NYT has fallen, to be mentioned in the same breath as a rag like <i>The Daily Fail</i>!)
<i>Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.</i>
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