November 7, 2016
Newlywed London lawyer Lily Macdonald’s best intentions land her in some of the worst predicaments in British author Corry’s devilishly devious U.S. debut, in which almost no one proves totally trustworthy. For instance, Lily’s generous impulse to befriend nine-year-old neighbor Carla Cavoletti, a bullied Italian immigrant with whose vulnerability she identifies, will eventually change the course of the lives of Lily and her artist husband, Ed, unfortunately not for the better. Similarly, Lily’s drive to champion clients she views as underdogs, which stems in part from experiences with her autistic brother, blinds her to the fact that some are dangerously manipulative liars who actually belong behind bars. But well-meaning as Lily is, readers will discover she isn’t above hiding some rather unsavory secrets of her own. As twisty as little Carla’s glossy curls, which inspire Ed’s best work, this swiftly moving psychological thriller offers surprises right up to the finish. Agent: Kate Horndern, Kate Horndern Literary Agency (U.K.).
December 1, 2016
A young lawyer with secrets of her own finds that her new husband is about as trustworthy as the murderer she's representing on appeal.Lily Macdonald, 25, thought her new life with Ed, a graphic designer with aspirations to paint full time, would be grand. She's a newly minted solicitor in London, two months into a new marriage, with a shiny new case: the appeal of Joe Thomas, convicted of murdering his girlfriend by shoving her in a scalding bath. Joe and Lily's initial conversations smack of cut-rate Hannibal and Clarice Starling scenes, with none of Thomas Harris' nuance of character. In fact, none of Corry's characters in her disappointing U.S. debut have much in the way of nuance; only a general sheen of unpleasantness that settles over every interaction, be it personal or professional. Besides Lily and Ed and their less-than-blissful marriage, Corry introduces their neighbors across the hall, Italian immigrant Francesca Cavoletti and her 9-year-old daughter, Carla, who catches Ed's eye as the perfect artistic subject. While Francesca spends time with a "special friend," Carla hangs out with the Macdonalds while Lily pursues Joe's appeal and wrestles with her childhood demons, which neatly connect to the case. A somewhat preposterous fast-forward finds the characters 12 years older but no wiser: Lily and Ed have a son with Asperger's; Carla is a knockout law student back from Italy; and Joe is still causing trouble from the sidelines. New romantic liaisons are formed, as are legal ones, none of which will surprise the careful reader. Unsavory, unrepentant characters interspersed in a plot that's as predictable as it is far-fetched make for an uninspiring read.
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