A Surprisingly Light Murder Mystery — Do Not Disturb by Freida McFadden

The first book of my 52-week reading challenge.

The story starts with recently-wed Quinn holding a bloodied knife over her dead husband, a seemingly-perfect man who had quickly turned into an abusive monster. The pacing of the first half is excellent: we follow Quinn’s mad escape through a blizzard, meeting a creepy fortune-teller and a secretive motel owner. The plot, though a bit cliched, was very engaging. There were several twists in the book, none of which I had predicted, leading to a satisfying ending.

However, the writing itself felt underwhelming, featuring cookie-cutter, one-dimensional characters. A quick Google search revealed that the author has published dozens of books over the last few years; I feel like if this was simply a longer project, the writing would’ve been crisper, cranking up suspense and making these twists more powerful.

Though it was a psychological thriller featuring killers and murder mysteries, it was a surprisingly light read. I finished it in one sitting while waiting for a plane in Nashville. It’s not a must-read, but if you’re a fan of thrillers, I’d recommend you pick up a copy (or read some of McFadden’s other works).