The USA Today bestselling and Edgar Award–winning author of Never Look Back and If I Die Tonight plumbs the dark side of justice and the depths of diabolical revenge in this propulsive novel of psychological suspense that melds the driving narrative of Then She Was Gone with the breathtaking twists of The Chain and the violent fury of Kill Bill.
Just how far will a grieving mother go to right a tragic wrong?
Camille Gardner is a grieving—and angry—mother who, five years after her daughter’s death, is still obsessed with the privileged young man she believes to be responsible.
When her rash actions attract the attention of a secret group of women—the collective—Camille is drawn into a dark web where these mothers share their wildly different stories of loss as well as their desire for justice in a world where privilege denies accountability and perpetrators emerge unscathed. Fueled by mutual rage, these women orchestrate their own brand of justice through precise, anonymous, complexly plotted and perfectly executed revenge killings, with individual members completing a specific and integral task in each plan.
As Camille struggles to comprehend whether this is a role-playing exercise or terrifying reality, she must decide if these women are truly avenging angels or monsters. Becoming more deeply enmeshed in the group, Camille learns truths about the collective—and about herself—that she may not be able to survive.
Book Information: Print length: 283 pages. Publisher: Orion. Publication Date 4 November 2021
Alison Gaylin is the award-winning author of Hide Your Eyes and its sequel, You Kill Me; the standalones Trashed, Heartless, What Remains Of Me and If I Die Tonight; and the Brenna Spector series: And She Was, Into the Dark, and Stay with Me. A graduate of Northwestern University and of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, she lives with her husband and daughter in Woodstock, New York.
My Review:
I saw this book being recommended on a list of exciting new books to look out for in 2022 and popped it straight to the top of my “to read” pile.
I don’t use the term “unputdownable” lightly, but I have to say that this is a book that I almost read in one sitting and only stopped because real life got in the way.
The blurb above explains the premise for the book: Camille Gardner is a grieving and angry mother, who lost her only daughter 5 years ago and the young man she believes to be responsible is walking around, living his life with absolutely no remorse for his actions.
Camille can’t move on, stuck between grief and hatred, her actions bring her to the attention of a secret group of bereaved women who call themselves The Collective. This group allows Camille to vent her hurt and anger and actively encourages her to take control and get her life back by joining their vigilante group.
I inhaled this book, Camille’s raw grief crept under my skin and her determination to seek justice (revenge) for her daughters death was equally heartbreaking and understandable.
However, it was her relationship with Luke which made me want to cry, the tender and poignant love between these two characters almost broke me.
I absolutely LOVED this book and I’m pretty confident this will be going into my Top Ten of the year books.
