⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5
This one was just as well written as the last. The nonlinear timeline lends to the confusion the author builds in this sequel. Much of the same self-deprecating humor, some pretty slick thinking, and some pretty stupid decisions. This book ended MUCH more opened than the other ~ of course we got the heads up at the end to check out the third set of files. I’m enjoying the fact that each one fits neatly with the other, but the story, the details, the case – it’s all different. But we have the familiarity of the previous stories and characters with this underlying story to really bind one to the other. Quick, easy read.
⚠️SPOILERS⚠️
Dr. Zhang and her “hhhhmmmm” had me SO annoyed. I wasn’t mad about how her story ended. Noah’s wack-a-doodle wife making a comeback was SUPER unexpected. Heck, I wasn’t even really expecting Noah back. It seems like bad luck and misfortune follow Elliot, so I think I just assumed this would be part of that. The shifting identities and constant state of confusion lent to the unyielding, secretive prison environment and Elliot’s paranoia. Given his poor diagnoses and decisions in the previous book, the reader does sort of feel like “okay, DOES Dr. Harper know what he’s talking about”? We wonder how reliable our narrator is. But, true to form, Elliot shows that he still makes horrible decisions – but for the right reasons.
Can’t wait to start the 3rd!
Elizabeth Shrader 