The premise of this book grabbed my attention when I saw it was a book of the month selection, so I snagged it. It wasn’t until I added the book on Goodreads just before I started reading it that I realized this was book 3 in a series. From what I understand, though, the books all stand alone. Each one focuses on people who live in Black Harbor, WI, a crime-ridden place in the Midwest with lots of secrets and a whole lot of death.

In this installment, the story focuses on Axel and Rowan Winthorp, a local detective and medical examiner, respectively, who find themselves thrust into their own personal hell when their daughter, Chloe, goes missing the same night that Madison – Chloe’s rival at school – is found dead with her teeth bashed out. The next day, another girl who bullied Chloe is also found dead, and her eyes have been gouged out. Is Chloe the murderer’s next victim, or is it possible that she is the murderer?

The heart of the narrative lies in Axel and Rowan’s desperate search for their missing daughter. Tensions rise between the two as unresolved issues in their marriage are exacerbated by the stress surrounding Chloe’s disappearance. One of them is afraid Chloe may be in danger, and the other feels that Chloe could very well be responsible for the murders.

The story was decent, but it felt a bit predictable. I didn’t find many surprises along the way. I’d pegged who was the murderer very early on, so I spent the majority of the book waiting for the reveal.

The book is told from 4 points of view: Axel, Rowan, Libby (a friend of Chloe’s and her next-door neighbor), and toward the end, we get a few chapters from the killer. I have to admit, character-wise, I had a really difficult time connecting with either Axel or Rowan. They felt a little cliche – from their relationship to their actions to their “past mistakes that haunt them,” none of it really surprised me. I didn’t care about their relationship, and honestly, I never felt worried about finding Chloe. I don’t know what it was, but I was definitely disconnected from all of them. Honestly, I felt that Libby was the more interesting character, and I wanted more of her scenes.

One thing that worked well for this book was the pacing (it clipped along nicely), and despite my inability to fully connect with anyone, it didn’t drag. I also thought the atmosphere was very fitting. I felt the cold, rainy, dreary October weather. The tone of the book is very dark and miserable, and that works well with the overall story.

While I didn’t really connect with this one, I didn’t hate it either. I think my biggest problem was by the time I got to this book, I was burned out after the number of mysteries I’d read in the weeks before. I wonder if I’d read this one later on if I would feel differently. I didn’t hate it, I just wasn’t surprised by anything that happened. I feel like this is the perfect read for someone who enjoys a by-the-book mystery. For me, it was just okay.