𖠋𐀪𖠋 𖠋𐀪𖠋 𖠋𐀪𖠋 𖠋𐀪𖠋
The Gallagher Place
Julie Doar
Zibby Publishing
352 pages
This is a debut novel by a promising young author. It will appeal to those readers who enjoy books with a gothic atmosphere and twisty thrillers. Doar successfully creates a sense of uneasiness and foreboding on an isolated estate in upstate New York with a narrator who is somewhat unreliable. The premise is that Marlowe, who returns to her parents’ house for the holidays, is there when there is a murder and this murder is somehow connected to the disappearance of her best friend many years before.
There is good character development, especially of the protagonist, even though the revelation of her as an alcoholic comes a bit late in the book. I would have liked to have seen a bit more in the way of the development of other characters, particularly her family members, who seem somewhat dysfunctional. The novel also keeps the reader guessing throughout, the mark of any decent psychological thriller. I also liked how the family unraveled as time went on even though it was a little hard to understand why Marlowe seemed to love it there growing up and found the house comforting. There were also themes about class—Marlowe’s family was comparatively well-off compared to some others in the book.
While not perfect, this was above-average for a debut novel. I think the author has a little to learn about plotting a suspense (and this is one with a fairly ambitious story for a new writer) novel but that will come with time and experience. I think many authors of thrillers struggle with character development and setting, which are relative strengths in this book.
look forward to seeing what else Ms. Doar has for us in the future. I thank Zibby Publishing and Edelweiss for providing me with an advanced reading copy of this novel so that I may read and review it.
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