Into the Sound by Cara Reinard

Convoluted, confusing, and rather chaotic tale of a crazy call from an older sister saying she was in danger and to come immediately during the storm…and when the younger sister arrived only an empty car and a bracelet remained. From then on it was a sleuthing by Holly to find Vivian with flashbacks to their crushing childhood and strange parents then throw in their horrible relationships with husbands and some other tidbits that finally (I skimmed the middle) lead to a conclusion that may have ended with one or two characters coming out sort of okay or with the potential to be okay in the future.

I have to say this was NOT a book I enjoyed or invested time reading word for word but do have a feeling some will love it. I had high hopes reading the book description but the story did not work for me, I did not like the characters and the plot required suspending belief in more than one instance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC – This is my honest review.

2 stars for me since I ended up skimming most of it as it did not hold my attention
3 stars by the NetGalley rating guide ( )

In the middle of a superstorm, Holly gets a phone call from her sister Vivian telling her where she is and that she needs help and ended up with the words "There's somebody coming". Holly grabs the car keys and rushes out the door despite her husband Hal's anger and goes to find her sister. When she gets to the marina, Vivian's car was there but there was no sign of Vivian. Holly reported her sister's disappearance to the police but they didn't think it's a priority so Holly decides that she has to do some investigation on her own. Vivian's husband Clay, won't return her calls so she thinks that he has hurt his wife. When the police start working on the case, Clay is their main suspect. But no one remains the main suspect for long because the author gave us so many red herrings, you aren't sure who to trust and where Vivian has disappeared to. Has Vivian been killed or has she run away - the reader may guess but it isn't clear until the very end.

Most of characters in this novel aren't very likable but it's all part of the plot. Holly and Vivian were raised by their parents, two psychologists who used their daughters as test cases and frequently pitted them against each other. Their mother was a terrible person and a worse parent. Holly and Vivian had been so psychologically abused that it makes sense that they'd have chosen such horrible husbands. Holly is a ball of fire -- she and her sister are no longer close but they had been through the bad upbringing together and Holly feels that it's her job to find her sister. She even breaks the law in her quest to find her sister - breaking and entering and hiding evidence are only the beginning.

I thought that this was an interesting and exciting book. The author wanted her reader to know that Holly and Vivian acted the way they did because of their abuse. Will the search for Vivian find her alive and well or has someone killed her? If she is alive, will the sisters be able to renew their sisterly love despite their pasts?

I read some of the reviews for this book and it appears to be a 'love it or hate it' book with very little middle ground. I fall into the 'love it' category because I thought it was well written and enjoyable. There were a few times that I thought the characters were acting in an unbelievable way but it was easy for me to overlook . If you enjoy suspense books about sisters, you need to give this one a try. I enjoyed it so much that I plan to check out some of this author's previous books.

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own. ( )