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this book sucks as expected. cardboard cutout ahhh supporting cast

"She stands like a maths equation, perfect and indisputably true."

"Game theory has fucked me, filled my head full of stratagems and suspects, the illusion of being in control."

"I wondered what the neighbours thought about having Summer and Spider move in, thereby reducing property prices at a stroke."

'It's basic game theory. Do whatever the other player isn't expecting. And he won't expect this.'
'Because it's fucking dumb.'

"There were people downstairs who deserved the information in my head. I couldn't keep all of this to myself. But even then, I was thinking game theory. They were players but that didn't mean they had to know everything."

"Eventually, silence, like a cat, stretched and curled around the house. I was aware of its claws and knew that at some stage it would use them."

"I know my sister. And it's not a good idea to keep on smacking a live hand grenade with a sledgehammer."

Jamie has a way with words

"Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised at his reaction. After all, he had asymmetrical hair."

This book was WILD. It picked up the tone so quickly, so fast I was not ready. Jamie's flagrant disregard for his own safety & willingness to go to the extreme to save his sister touches my heart. The ending was unexpected and I like how Phoebe ended up bringing the whole nightmare to a close by using game theory herself. I wish the book was longer and gave Jamie more time to show his own skill, but I still loved it!

Wow, this story just got so much more intense. The way the author describes the degradation of the Delaware family members after Phoebe's disappearance one by one is deep and cuts to the bone. In particular, I find the way Jamie slowly and steadily falls apart, not eating or sleeping, constantly on edge, so heart-wrenching. We can feel his guilt emanating on every pg, but also the fierce love he has for his sister.

This book's intro is what drew me in: sitting in the middle of the night, gripping a gun and contemplating what it would be like to shoot someone. The author grabs us with a vice-like grip, and then steps back to set the stage for the story. The narrator's voice is simple, contemporary, and contemplative, but it charmed me from the start.