Daisy in Chains - Sharon Bolton

I've read everything by this author, impressed with her ability to weave a deceptively simple story that pulls you in from the start. You devour the pages, trying to work it all out. Then there comes a point where you realize you've been duped. Again.

 

I was cruising along, feeling pretty pleased with my clever self for figuring out a major plot twist. Then I got to the 80% mark & my delicate little jaw hit the floor. Damn. So I have no excuse. But it's also why I wait so impatiently for each book.

 

There are many characters in this story but it all boils down to the interaction between an eccentric blue haired lawyer & a charismatic man in jail for the murders of several women. He's desperate for her to handle his appeal. But it will take some convincing. As she tells him early on she doesn't care if he's guilty but she must believe she can win & there is no new evidence to make that possible. Then they meet face to face & everything changes.

 

Ms. Bolton is a master of misdirection & I fell for it hook, line & sinker. It's the kind of read where when the truth hits, you stop reading & begin to mentally review everything you thought you knew. And you realize all the clues were there, casually lying around while you were distracted by bigger, shinier events. 

 

Lets all hope the author never decides to apply her devious mind to real life. Just sit back & enjoy a taut, intricate psychological thriller that will mess with your head. And I'll go back to waiting impatiently for the next one.....as soon as I stop kicking myself.