I have mixed feelings about this new Kevin O'Brien novel. I read all his work, so I think I'm a good and fair judge. As always, his writing is technically very well done and it flows nicely, but the story this time was lacking in many departments. Much of the dialogue felt melodramatic and at times -- gulp! -- it seemed like a tv-movie-of-the-week. The dialogue for Janice's character seemed way over the top, as did the Senatorial candidate Jim Foley.

I've read way too many stories about the cliched plot where a childhood secret comes back to haunt the protagonist. I didn't feel the killer in this was very credible, intelligent, or scary at all. He was just a crazy painter with a strange obsession that's never explained. In conclusion, I just didn't feel that Kevin was very inspired in writing this book. It felt like a paycheck. I want the dark, edgy author that gave us "Make Them Cry" back. That book dripped with evil and was a much better read.