Starts as a fresh, intriguing thriller-in-a-time-of-Covid but devolves into an unfocused family drama strong on well-observed behaviours but weak on tension.

Although this novel has strong, clearly-drawn, relatable characters, perfectly-pitched dialogue and some moments of real tension, I found myself increasingly disengaged from it as I reached the final third of the book.

It felt to me that this was a story that twisted in my hands, starting as one thing and ending as something else.

I loved the night-before-Lockdown opening. It was surprising but credible and more than a little menacing. The life of the about-to-turn-seventy widower-of-many-years who copes with loneliness by sticking to a routine that includes daily early-morning swims on Bondi Beach and fishmongers or beans on toast in front of the telly in the evening was described with a nice combination of accuracy and empathy.

For the first couple of hours, this felt like a thriller. There was mistrust, which may or may not have been paranoid and sharing and support that may or may not have been cynical manipulation. The stakes kept getting higher until, eventually, things got physical. I'd expected the story to climax there, releasing the tension and using a short epilogue to tie things up.

That wasn't what happened. As the thriller plot rolled forward, more and more time was spent on the character and history of the various family members. It was good stuff but it was more detailed than a thriller required and I felt it kept dissipating the tension the thriller plot had created. By the end of the book, the family drama part of the story had become dominant and the final chapters were spent not in tying up loose ends in the thriller plot but in fleshing out the history behind the domestic drama and driving rather determinedly towards a more or less happy ending.

This didn't work for me. I ended the book thinking that I'd met some interesting characters but missed out on the chance for a thriller-in-a-time-of-COVID that I would have enjoyed a lot more. ( )

Great story line and great listen. Highly recommended.

Publisher's info - On the eve of the global lockdown, Don Barlow opens the door of his old beachside cottage to find a pretty girl with pink-tipped hair, claiming to have nowhere to go.

He allows her entry, and so begins a mystery set in unprecedented times: with the virus raging outside their home, the girl cannot be asked to leave, but what does he risk by having her stay? ( )

There was some skepticism on my part after learning that writers are already injecting Covid-19 into their stories. But this book was free and I took a chance. And I'm glad I did. ( )

Don Barlow is retired, widowed, and living alone in the home in Bondi, near Sydney, where he and wife Pam raised their daughter Danielle. With the global pandemic lockdown about to hit, he answers a knock on the door, and finds a young woman standing there. She says her name is Morgan, she's in trouble, has no place to go, and finally, springs the news that she's his granddaughter--the child of the son he had with a girl when they were in high school. That son was given up for adoption, and Don has never seen him, but he responds to this surprise granddaughter, and invites her in.

Don enjoys having this previously unknown granddaughter in his home. He's not alone in the lockdown; she does things to enliven his life and maker him laugh. Don's daughter, Danielle, though, is very, very concerned. Danielle and her husband, Jackson, each show up separately, trying to find out more about this Morgan. Even if she's on the outs with her father, why would she have nowhere else to go/

Danielle is certain that Morgan is trouble, and although some of it is certainly jealously, she's equally sure it's not just jealousy. Jackson thinks her reaction is over the top and a bit paranoid--but he also acknowledges that she's rarely wrong in her basic assessment of people.

So, what's going on?

The listener knows before the other characters do that there really is something fishy going on with Morgan. The truth, though, is more complicated than even Morgan knows.

It's an interesting story about character and the coronavirus lockdown, and the complexities and stresses of family.

Recommended.

It seems likely that I got this free as part of the Audible Originals program, and I am reviewing it voluntarily. ( )

Set during the pandemic in Australia, this story is about a girl claiming to be the main character’s granddaughter & moves into his house. Is he being conned? Or is she really his granddaughter? The narrator is excellent. The story is excellent, too, but a bit anxiety-inducing because it’s during the pandemic and there’s concern the MC, a lonely widower, might be a victim of a cruel scam. There are some surprises you don’t see coming! ( )