A first-rate supernatural thriller…
Oliver neatly combines supernatural and suspense in his latest excellent outing featuring a young woman trying to solve her friend’s disappearance. When Trisha McAllister, a transfer teacher at P. S. 21, suddenly goes missing, Deanna Anastas, her best friend and the daughter of the school’s Principal, gets drawn into the mystery. Atop Deanna’s list of suspects stands the whole school staff who started acting weird around the time Trisha joined the school. Determined to unravel the circumstances surrounding her friend’s disappearance, Deanna sets on to find the truth. But danger is lurking closer than she thinks with her own disappearance in plan. Oliver makes Deanna’s challenges of seeking truth feel real (despite the blend of supernatural elements), creating psychologically credible leads. By layering the plot with two parallel worlds in which two different set of people exist over the course of two different time periods, Oliver has given the story an impressive feat of imagination, and he juggles the different plotlines without ever straining credibility. His nuanced exploration of the human nature gives the story a hefty emotional quotient. Deanna is a well-developed character, a peculiar mix of intense emotion and intelligence, and readers will root for her forceful, independent character. The secondary characters are equally compelling. Oliver expertly blends plot surprises with psychological depth and keeps the narrative moving quickly throughout this engrossing tale, which, with its intriguing storyline and excellent execution of the plot makes for a page-turner. Supernatural thrillers lovers should be drawn to this gripping novel.
Note: This title is free on Kindle unlimited.
