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On the morning of July 2, 2022, two thieves have a simple but effective plan to rob a jewelry store in Geneva. It should go off without a hitch.
Three weeks earlier, Sophie Braun is getting ready to host a party for her 40th birthday. Her husband and two children live with her in a gorgeous house in the woods in an exclusive community. She and her husband are good-looking, well-liked, and wealthy. They seem to have it all: the perfect life.
Meanwhile, a man who lives nearby has become obsessed with Sophie. No one could possibly know that while he is an excellent and respected police officer, he has been standing in the trees, watching her through the big windows of the modern-style home. And his stalking keeps ramping up, putting him in danger of losing his job and his family.
At the same time, Sophie’s husband isn’t quite who he seems, and neither is Sophie. A man from her past comes back for her birthday, stirring up all kinds of trouble that she would prefer to keep buried.
All of the plot lines come together in one compelling, suspenseful story. Wild Animal moves between points of view and times, hopping around between the days leading up to the robbery and pertinent events in past years. I will say it was masterfully done, as expected from Joël Dicker. I’ve enjoyed his previous mystery novels, particularly The Enigma of Room 622, and read this because I trusted him to write a fascinating story.
What I didn’t enjoy was the characters: I can’t say much because I don’t want to spoil the plot, but I didn’t like any of them and felt just… icky reading all that goes on. I was more than eager to finish the book and move on to something else.
So while I thought the ending of Wild Animal was clever, I couldn’t shake my discomfort at having to hang out with the characters throughout.
Rated: High. Profanity includes 10 uses of strong language, around 10 instances of moderate profanity, 20 uses of mild language, and an instance of the name of Deity in vain. Sex includes some scenes that include brief detail, and references to nude photos/video. Violence includes murder and stalking.
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*I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
