#Mystery #BookReview -- A Game of Deceit by K.A. Davis
Where onyx skulls and crossbones not only lead to murder and corruption, but unite the lost.
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A father’s disappearance never solved, a mother’s secret taken to the grave, a daughter deceived…
Kathryn Landry thinks her life is just about perfect. She is the owner of a successful interior designer business in Newport Beach, California, and she has an attentive, supportive husband. But her world comes crashing down when her husband, Neil Landry, vanishes without a trace… in a situation almost identical to the disappearance of her father twenty years before.
With her father’s disappearance still a mystery, Kathryn is skeptical that the detective assigned to her case will be able to find her husband. Determined to uncover the truth, Kathryn is plunged into a world of politics, high-priced call girls and wealth. As she begins to search for her husband, a decades-old secret her mother took to the grave threatens to destroy all she holds dear. Caught up in a web of betrayals and deceit, and not knowing who to trust, Kathryn must find a way to survive as she discovers the past has a way of repeating itself.
With winding plots of past rapes, murders, disappearances, collusion, and much more, the cover of this book belies the intense story it hides.
Three men - Neil, Mike, and John - each play an antagonistic role in Kathryn’s developmental arc. She starts as a naive woman who believes most everything she hears and ignores all she sees. Soon, her eyes open, thanks to a stubborn detective and an assistant-turned-business partner. This woman endured much trauma during her short journey to find her husband. She evolved nicely through the story. She is a quite believable character, as evidenced by the real dialogue and her quirky humor.
As a connoisseur of crime novels, I enjoy a story where I cannot figure out the killer. Well, In A Game of Deceit, my list of suspects only contained three people. As the story went along, I was able to deduce the real suspect.
Character development: 10/10
Plot development: 10/10
Quality of writing: 9/10
Well-paced: 10/10
Thought provoking: 5/10
Entertaining: 8/10
Enjoyable: 9/10
Overall – 61/70 == 87.1% = 4.35/5.0 stars
Explanation of rating
Character development: 10/10 -- The development of the cast of characters was amazing. As I ‘tapped” the pages, I learned more abou the psychological makeup of the protagonist and the antagonists, leading to my understanding of the title of this book.
Plot development: 10/10 --- no words can describe how I feel about the wondrously suspense-ridden plot. There were a few moments when I yelled expletives from mere shock.
Quality of writing: 9/10 - wonderfully vivid descriptions
“The glow from the hurricane lamps flickered in the deep dusk while the sounds of giant palm leaves rustled in the wind. Malibu lights glimmered around a stone path leading through lush flowering hibiscus and orchids. A faint smell of smoke floated in the air.” (Kindle location 2051-2052)
Well-paced: 10/10 -- Appearing like a fade out scene, the chapters ended at the just the places and picked up with a bang
Thought provoking: 5/10 -- This is not a book that I can seem to pull any witty advice from.
Entertaining: 8/10 -- not quite slapstick, but Kathryn is one funny woman.
“That would be like kicking a guy already on the carpet.”
“You mean ‘don’t kick a man when he’s down’?”
“Yeah, that’s what I meant.”
(Kindle location 3268-3269)
Enjoyable: 9/10 -- Pleasant escape into a world riddled with lies and astounding family history trees.
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