He Will Be My Ruin

I am really impressed! KA Tucker just slipped into another genre without losing her trademark storytelling or the angst. I will admit that I came in expecting a romance, but the love was that of a friend. This sisterly love was just as powerful and it was just as deep so the story really resonated with me. The author weaved the story in dual POV with Maggie being the present voice and Celine being the past. The narrators were very easy to follow, so I never had difficulty knowing who was leading the dialogue.

Maggie Sparkes came to New York City to settle her best friend Celine Gonzalez’s estate after Celine’s body was discovered in what the police ruled a suicide. As Maggie walked through what she supposes were Celine’s last couple of weeks, things didn’t add up. Coupled with the discovery of Celine’s diary, and a plane ticket for Celine to visit her mother in a few days, Maggie believed that what she had was a murdered friend. When the police brushed her off, Maggie set out on her own to find evidence to support her suspicions that Celine’s death was staged to look like a suicide.

This book definitely kept me guessing as to what was going on. I think I suspected almost everyone in the book except Celine’s own mother and the PI firm. The author peeled away layer after layer of carefully laid foundation exposing Celine’s life as the 28 year old had fallen prey to trappings of a certain lifestyle. The writing was suspenseful, mysterious, and fascinating. The characters, the protagonist and the antagonist, were multifaceted. At certain point, I was exasperated with Maggie’s decision making, and the other times I was impressed with her tenacity and loyalty. Similar Celine evoked both sympathy and frustration. There definitely was some resentment and jealous issues at play, but there was still love underneath it all.

Many times I thought I had the mystery figured out, only to realize I fell for a red herring. It wasn’t until the very end that things became clear. This is a book a reader will want to finish in one sitting because it’s that engrossing. I don’t know if the ending was a shocker, but I didn’t conclusively put it together until the end. While I prefer KA Tucker’s romance novels, this one was a good mystery and suspense novel. The author took time and delivered a great plot with conspicuous characters. This was an enjoyable read.

I couldn't pry myself away from my headphones with this enthralling story! I've read many of K.A. Tucker's before and this is my favorite to date. I am really hoping we might see a sequel to continue Maggie's story.