REASONABLE

An interior designer becomes embroiled in the murder of her former best friend in Carlisle’s mystery novel.

The story begins with the murder of Elaine Reid by means of a six-inch butcher’s blade. Inebriated and confused, Reid’s former longtime best friend and interior design business partner, Catheryn “Cat” Clark, is found at the scene, covered in blood. Detectives zero in on the rock-solid motive: Elaine’s vicious betrayal of Cat involved an illicit affair with Cat’s husband, Tim. Elaine brought hotel receipts to Catheryn’s house on the night of the murder to arrogantly throw the evidence in Cat’s face. The burning question of Cat’s guilt looms over the remainder of the novel as Elaine’s ghost appears in Cat’s jail cell to tell her she isn’t responsible, despite her faulty memory and the circumstances of the killing damning her in the eyes of the law. Flashbacks detail Cat and Elaine’s friendship throughout college at North Carolina’s Green Valley University. Their group included the pushy, manipulative Elaine and her boyfriend, Evan, Cat and her partner, Tim, and Mia Davis, whose life was cut short by a shocking suicide. Questions linger about Mia’s demise even decades later—local police detective Rachel McGowen, who was also Mia’s classmate, reexamines the cold case, unconvinced it was a suicide as the jailed Cat recalls “how our entire group dynamic seemed to shift” after the tragedy. The scenes involving the longtime group of friends demonstrate Carlisle’s grasp of character development, which is key to keeping this mystery simmering. Complex and satisfying, the narrative features plenty of crisp detective spadework, unanswered questions, interpersonal melodrama, more dead bodies, and enough surprises to keep even seasoned mystery fans on their toes. As this is Carlisle’s first entry in a three-book series, readers will hotly anticipate where the author takes her characters next.

A serpentine, suspenseful mystery that will keep readers guessing right to the final pages.