I enjoyed the twists in this whodunit mystery.
Run time: 5 hours and 4 minutes
Release Date: October 23, 2019
Publisher: Greenleaf & Plympton
Genre: Mystery, Whodunit, Young Adult
My Rating: 3.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 3.5; Narration 3.5.
When John Eastwick, Jr.’s father dies, he finds out about one family secret that will change his life forever. But a murder the night of the memorial service raises the question—what else was his beloved father hiding?
***
21-year-old John Eastwick, Jr., has lived a charmed and cozy life. The sole heir of the Eastwick family fortune, John is on the cusp of graduating from the renowned Montvale University out east before returning home to run his family business. But in late fall of his final year, John’s father dies of heart failure. Days later, his father is named as one of the disgraced moguls who bribed John’s way into his prestigious college.
Kicked out of school, John returns home to his distraught mother at their lakeside mansion to bury his father. There, John’s world continues to crumble beneath his feet: the will that the family lawyer reads bears no resemblance to the last version that the late John Eastwick, Sr. created. In fact, John Eastwick, Sr. has divided his estate not only between his son and wife, but the family chef, their loyal lawyer, his young secretary, and his estranged brother.
John wonders, is his father trying to atone for past mistakes--and what other secrets might he be keeping?
But that night, after the reading of the will, one among the group is murdered. And John Eastwick, Jr., must not only piece together who the threat is, but also face what else his beloved father might have been hiding.
Review:
John is distressed when his father dies of heart failure, but John becomes more alarmed a few days later as a scandal unfolds claiming his father bribed John’s way into his prestigious college. John leaves his senior year to return home and deal with the gathering of his uncle, aunt and their son, and close employees who have come for the reading of the Will. The bequests are a total surprise with substantial gifts to others in addition to the widow and John Jr.
The morning after the Will is read, one of the guests is found dead. Then it is discovered that a million-dollar painting is missing. John sets out to uncover the murderer and the thieve in the group while also trying to determine other hidden secrets his father was hiding.
There are several well developed, unpleasant suspects, particularly the deceased’s estranged brother with his pretentious wife and spoiled, lazy son. Several of the employees are also surprise beneficiaries and their actions are suspect too.
Although I did enjoy the twists and turns in the plot, the story is a bit bland and at times repetitive. I wanted the scenes to move on to uncover the villain. This is a mystery for fans of the “Whodunit” genre.
Audio Notes: Brooke Myers does a fair job with the narration. The voices are distinct although the story seems “read” more than presented with energy. The audio helped move the book along for me.
Source: 3/21/2020 Chirp deal $.99. This qualifies for 2023TBR and 2023Audiobook goals.
