Thursday, May 9, 2019

Review: Only Ever Her by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen


Kerry Hammond is here today to review a new-to-her author.

Only Ever Her by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen was released on May 7, in Trade Paperback, by Lake Union Publishing. This is the author’s seventh novel and the first one I’ve read. I was drawn to it by the book jacket’s promise of secrets and, always keen to try a new author, I thought I would give it a shot. I was not disappointed.

The story centers around Annie and her upcoming wedding. As preparations for the big day begin, though, Annie is struggling with an issue that has nothing to do with her impending nuptials. The man who has spent 23 years in prison for murdering her mother—Annie was just three years old at the time—is being released from prison after a court has ruled that he was wrongly convicted.

As the wedding day gets closer, we learn that the people around Annie are also struggling; we find that each and every one of them has secrets they wish to keep hidden. But when Annie goes missing, it becomes harder and harder to keep those secrets from getting out. The question is, does one of them have to do with Annie’s disappearance, and could someone close to her be responsible?

I honestly couldn’t put this book down. I loved Whalen’s writing style and she immediately drew me in to the story. The characters were well written and complex, and I found a way to suspect each and every one of them of wrongdoing.The chapters switched back and forth to tell the story from the viewpoint of 4 or 5 of the characters. I was able to watch the story progress as it seamlessly toggled from character to character, slowly revealing clues to the mysteries that each possessed.

I will definitely read some of the author’s previous novels, I think she has a unique writing style and a very engaging sense of storytelling.

This book was provided to Mystery Playground by the publisher. The review was fair and completely independent.

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