All That Was Left Unsaid

All That Was Left Unsaid by Jacquie Underdown

Underdown lives in Australia and the language, locations, and descriptions take you to the Land Down Under with the story set in Gladstone. She tells the story through three women, Tina, Maddison, and Isabelle whose lives are tied to each other. Each chapter begins with one of the women, usually. Although point of view bounces around a few times, it is still clear.

The story begins with the murder of a woman in a car which was run off the road. She was brutally beaten to death. Another woman is found a short distance away, covered in blood, but confused and incoherent.

Underdown takes us into the past and weaves the lives of the three women together over that time period. The reader isn’t sure who is telling the truth and who is manipulating the others. She also adds a twist to the end.

Each woman is a study in abuse, heartache, and broken love with ties to Chris. Tina was abused as a child and a rape causes her to shut down, and Chris divorces her when her life takes a downward spiral, yet they remain friends. Isabelle had her daughter, Juliette, when she was 17 and has remained single until she falls in love with Chris and marries him. She soon discovers she is pregnant but is jealous of any attention he gives his first wife, Tina. Maddison is married to Ben, Chris’s brother and punishes him for his infidelity.

The story is an emotional trip of blame, guilt, and accusations as each person comes to term with their own demons. The two detectives assigned to figure out the murder are minor characters as motives are revealed and suspects arrested. This is not a who dunnit but why did they do it.

#Underdown #mystery #thriller

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