The Family Plot
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- Create Date：2021-09-07 11:21:12
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Megan Collins
- ISBN：1797129325
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Sid
，
Propulsive start to a Twisted Family Mystery - the trope that keeps on giving as far as I'm concerned！Not exactly an unpredictable ending and I do feel that the themes of betrayal， family secrets， isolation could have been delved in further。 In other words， this could have been a much darker book。But I had a lot of fun reading it and， as other reviewers noted， the first half was great in terms of suspense building。 Also - and I say this as someone who doesn't like true crime so YYMV - I apprecia Propulsive start to a Twisted Family Mystery - the trope that keeps on giving as far as I'm concerned！Not exactly an unpredictable ending and I do feel that the themes of betrayal， family secrets， isolation could have been delved in further。 In other words， this could have been a much darker book。But I had a lot of fun reading it and， as other reviewers noted， the first half was great in terms of suspense building。 Also - and I say this as someone who doesn't like true crime so YYMV - I appreciated the dissection of the public's interest in it。 It wasn't necessarily critical of it， but questioning it - how much is too much， what crosses the line between respectful and voyeurism， etc。 。。。more
Lori
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I really liked this story - I love sibling intrigue and mystery。 I like how the protagonists were flawed， and not always likable - made them much more genuine。 I was guessing until very close to the end， the mystery was well written and thought out。 I nearly gave only 4 stars because I listened to the audiobook and didn’t enjoy the narration， but that wouldn’t have been fair to the story。 Highly recommend as a creepy， autumn read！
Connie
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Dahlia Lighthouse， 26， was raised in a secluded and isolated mansion located on Blackburn Island and were all home schooled by their mother。 Her parents named her after an actress who had been found cut in half。 her other siblings were also named after victims of crime。 There have also been women murdered on the island by someone dubbed the Blackburn Killer。 The women were dressed alike by the killer and left in shallow waters to be found。 The family’s mission was to not let any of these victims Dahlia Lighthouse， 26， was raised in a secluded and isolated mansion located on Blackburn Island and were all home schooled by their mother。 Her parents named her after an actress who had been found cut in half。 her other siblings were also named after victims of crime。 There have also been women murdered on the island by someone dubbed the Blackburn Killer。 The women were dressed alike by the killer and left in shallow waters to be found。 The family’s mission was to not let any of these victims be forgotten。 Dahlia’s twin brother， Andy， who disappeared when he was 16， was named after Lizzie Borden’s father。 All 4 of the children left home as soon as they could。 Now， they are all back because their father， Daniel， has died。Dahlia’s mother’s parents were murdered which set her mother on this path of caring for victims of crime。 The parents are buried on the land behind their home。 The gardener runs in saying he has opened the grave originally meant for Daniel only to find a body and he thinks it’s Andy。It felt a bit creepy as I got into this book because the atmosphere of the house seems to be haunted。 The family members are all so scarred from the life they have led， but as we learn more from them about what truly happened， it’s really shocking。 It’s hard to believe that there is such evil out there but this book showed it。 The characters are well written and their pain is perfectly expressed。 I don’t want to give away any spoilers but I must say that readers will want to read this book。 Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review。 。。。more
Vickie
，
Wow， this book was so disappointing to me。 The writing was all "let's just talk about all of these childhood experiences the main character went through and never 'show' the reader。" As I continued to read chapter after chapter， something always felt like it was missing， and the Lighthouse family was just too weird to actually ever become enjoyable to me。 Even the surprise twist ending was really obvious and such a let down。 Wow， this book was so disappointing to me。 The writing was all "let's just talk about all of these childhood experiences the main character went through and never 'show' the reader。" As I continued to read chapter after chapter， something always felt like it was missing， and the Lighthouse family was just too weird to actually ever become enjoyable to me。 Even the surprise twist ending was really obvious and such a let down。 。。。more
Julie （JuJu）
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“For the murderinos。”The Lighthouse family is very unique， but not in a good way。 The true-crime-obsessed parents of Dahlia， Charlie， Tate and Andy named their children to honor murder victims。 I’m not sure I’d consider it an honor if I was the child， though。 Especially since they were homeschooled， lived a sheltered life on an isolated island in a house nicknamed Murder Mansion。 Dahlia - Named after the notorious Black Dahlia。 She was my favorite character and the sanest of the family。 Andy “For the murderinos。”The Lighthouse family is very unique， but not in a good way。 The true-crime-obsessed parents of Dahlia， Charlie， Tate and Andy named their children to honor murder victims。 I’m not sure I’d consider it an honor if I was the child， though。 Especially since they were homeschooled， lived a sheltered life on an isolated island in a house nicknamed Murder Mansion。 Dahlia - Named after the notorious Black Dahlia。 She was my favorite character and the sanest of the family。 Andy - Dahlia’s twin brother received his name from Lizzie Borden’s father。 He has his own axe and angrily chops at trees when the mood hits。 On their 16th birthday， he disappears， leaving a note behind。Charlie - Took the name of the Lindbergh baby。 He turned out to be a sarcastic drunk who is easy to dislike。Tate - Named after Sharon Tate and also became a movie star。 She has her likable moments， but she’s mostly self-centered and odd。 ”I could recite their names in my sleep。 Not just the victims of our island’s serial killer， who murdered seven women over two decades and was never caught， but the ones from quiet neighborhoods， the ones on city streets。 We honored them each year on the anniversaries of their deaths。 We uttered their names as we stood in a circle， lighting each other’s slim white candles。 Then we whispered the prayer—we can’t restore your life， but we strive to restore your memory with this breath—before blowing out the flames。 When I told Greta I didn’t know the victims personally， but that they were part of our Honoring calendar， her forehead wrinkled with confusion， and I wondered for the first time if Andy had been right， that there was something unnatural about us。” This was an interesting story and the author is very talented， but I didn’t feel that the ending was as well executed as the rest of the book。 Megan Collins is still one of my favorite authors and I look forward to future reads！Sincere thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books。 I received an advance review copy for free， and I am leaving this review voluntarily。My Rating: 3。5 ⭐️’s （rounding up because of the gorgeous cover and fantastic writing/author）Published: August 17th 2021Pages: 320Recommend: Yes#TheFamilyPlot #MeganCollins #NetGalley #BookReview #InExchangeForReview #ARC #Bookstagram #Bookaholic #BookRecommendation #Thriller #MurderMansion #Twins After publication my reviews can be found at Amazon， Twitter， Instagram， GoodReads， Barnes and Noble， BookBub， NetGalley， and Edelweiss@ImMeganCollins @AtriaBooks @NetGalley 。。。more
Erin B。
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Ooooh this one hooked me from the start。 The cult like family obsessed with murders？ Sign me up。 I love how this one unwound and twisted so much until the big reveal。
Soni S
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You might think you enjoy true crime， but definitely not as much as the Lighthouse family。 This family is obsessed; they are homeschooled to learn about true crime and each child is named after a famous murder victim。 Dahlia Lighthouse （named after the Black Dahlia） finally left the secluded island mansion deep in the woods where she lived with her family but is called back when her father passes away。 Another body is discovered in the "family plot，" that of her twin's who had disappeared on the You might think you enjoy true crime， but definitely not as much as the Lighthouse family。 This family is obsessed; they are homeschooled to learn about true crime and each child is named after a famous murder victim。 Dahlia Lighthouse （named after the Black Dahlia） finally left the secluded island mansion deep in the woods where she lived with her family but is called back when her father passes away。 Another body is discovered in the "family plot，" that of her twin's who had disappeared on their 16th birthday。 As Dahlia grapples with her own grief and horror， she realizes that her eccentric family， and the mansion itself， may hold the answers to what happened to her twin。This book is really different in that the family is one that I've never seen the likes of。 Their obsession with true crime is next level and to be honest， they're all quite creepy and unlikeable。 That being said， it started off a bit slow as you get familiar with the characters but by the second half， it was hard to put down。 I had no idea where the story was going to go。 The amount of research into notorious murders that the author had to do must have been incredible！ I recommend this to anyone who enjoys true crime and a good mystery， or just reading about twisted people！Thank to Atria for the gifted eGalley。 All opinions expressed are my own。 。。。more
Carly Cloud
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3。75 stars
Savanna （savbeebooks）
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2。5 starsTo make this short and sweet， I was not engrossed in this book at all。 I ended up finishing the book just so I could see how it ended。 The audiobook was a good listen and the narrater did well。 I just sadly didn't connect with any of the characters， I thought the storyline was kind of meh and nothing shocked me。 It was just slow moving and I just felt like。。 nothing really happened until the end。 I think the storyline had potential with having a dysfunctional family who was obsessed wit 2。5 starsTo make this short and sweet， I was not engrossed in this book at all。 I ended up finishing the book just so I could see how it ended。 The audiobook was a good listen and the narrater did well。 I just sadly didn't connect with any of the characters， I thought the storyline was kind of meh and nothing shocked me。 It was just slow moving and I just felt like。。 nothing really happened until the end。 I think the storyline had potential with having a dysfunctional family who was obsessed with serial killers， but I just found it kind of overall cheesy。 Onto the next book。 。。。more
Angela
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5 StarsThe Family Plot by Megan Collins。。。Was not expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did。Book Club Reading Challenge。Full review to come。。。。。
Tami
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This one started slowly and a bit cheesy， but by 45% in I was hooked！
Laura
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Solid effort…but the writing is just so-so。
Jenny Shaw
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A book about a family obsessed with true crime with a disappearance of one of their own。 Sign me up！ The plot of this story really drew me in。 There was enough detail I could feel myself there！ This is so well written and tied up the story perfectly。 It was also not a 300 page book which I love！ The shorter the better in my own opinion。 This one is definitely a well written slow burn that managed to keep my attention the whole book。 I highly recommend you pick this one up！ And it’s OUT NOW！Thank A book about a family obsessed with true crime with a disappearance of one of their own。 Sign me up！ The plot of this story really drew me in。 There was enough detail I could feel myself there！ This is so well written and tied up the story perfectly。 It was also not a 300 page book which I love！ The shorter the better in my own opinion。 This one is definitely a well written slow burn that managed to keep my attention the whole book。 I highly recommend you pick this one up！ And it’s OUT NOW！Thank you @atriabooks @atriathrillers @netgalley for my gifted copy。 。。。more
Grace W
，
Nope
Claire | blondebookreview
，
Collins dedicated this one to Murderinos and it’s fitting because any Murderino or True Crime lover will enjoy this book。 The Lighthouse kids finally return to their family home on Blackburn Island after their father dies。 Blackburn is also home to a notorious serial killer who’s final kill was before any of them left home。 All the Lighthouse siblings have various reasons for staying away: Charlie， the older brother acts; Tate the older sister makes dioramas of the dead; and our MC Dahlia who is Collins dedicated this one to Murderinos and it’s fitting because any Murderino or True Crime lover will enjoy this book。 The Lighthouse kids finally return to their family home on Blackburn Island after their father dies。 Blackburn is also home to a notorious serial killer who’s final kill was before any of them left home。 All the Lighthouse siblings have various reasons for staying away: Charlie， the older brother acts; Tate the older sister makes dioramas of the dead; and our MC Dahlia who is obsessed with finding her missing twin brother Charlie。 Dahlia is hoping the death of their father will finally bring him back。 But when they go to bury their father they find Charlie’s bones in the grave instead。 Dahlia is wracked with guilt over not realizing her twin was dead。 She grew up with home teachings of true crime， her house dubbed the “Murder House” and now her own brother is a True Crime case。 It still doesn’t solve the mystery of the Blackburn killer or why everyone of her family is acting suspicious。 Will she finally find the answers she’s looking for？This was a great fast paced mystery that kept me hooked from the start。 There were some obvious answers and suspects， but we didn’t have confirmation on any of it until the end。 I had to keep turning the page to see if I was right。 I loved that Collins wove true crime fans into this one - Lorraine， the mom， literally home schooled them on true crime growing up。 It was also a great story of family dynamics and secrets。 There were some dark moments and twists but nothing too shocking or crazy。 If you’re looking for a fast paced thriller this is a good one！ 。。。more
Jennifer
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Loved it！！！ Would give it 4。5 stars。 I kept asking myself - what am I reading？？！！I love the ID Channel， Dateline and all those murder shows， but I can't imagine growing up where all my schooling was based upon death。 Who names their children after murder victims？ So creepy！！！ Dahlia。 Tate， Andy and Charlie had such a strange childhood and none of them were prepared for adulthood。 The parents were actually horrible caregivers。 The whole family was dysfunctional。 If the children didn't receive an Loved it！！！ Would give it 4。5 stars。 I kept asking myself - what am I reading？？！！I love the ID Channel， Dateline and all those murder shows， but I can't imagine growing up where all my schooling was based upon death。 Who names their children after murder victims？ So creepy！！！ Dahlia。 Tate， Andy and Charlie had such a strange childhood and none of them were prepared for adulthood。 The parents were actually horrible caregivers。 The whole family was dysfunctional。 If the children didn't receive an inheritance when they turned eighteen， I'm not sure how they would even hold down a job。 Not sure if I agree with the end。 How can they forget what they learned？ Was this person really telling the truth about the reasons behind the death？ Were they all going to go off and live happily-ever-after？ How can they forgive what happened？ I wanted Dahlia to get on the ferry and run as far away from these people and never look back。 The truth about the Blackburn Serial Killer was shocking。 It wasn't exactly a surprise who the killer was， but all the details that went with was crazy。 I couldn't imagine why Charlie wanted to create the Lighthouse Memorial Museum。 He was obsessed。 Then there was the manic cookie baking of their mom。 Everything about the house was scary/creepy- the inside with it being so dark， the photos of the dead and the Lighthouse family。 All around it was a great book。 Thank goodness it was a work of fiction， because if it was nonfiction I would be horrified。Definitely recommend the book。 I was hooked from the very start and couldn't wait to find out what happened to Andy。 It was a great mystery/thriller and kept me guessing until the end。 Loved the story， characters and writing style。 Look forward to reading more books by the author。 Loved the cover of the book。 I received a complimentary copy of this book from Atria Books through NetGalley。 Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。 。。。more
Sherry
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I'm not sure how to describe this book。 It's not quite a mystery or thriller as it devolves into dysfunctional family drama。 The writing is excellent and I was interested enough to keep reading but the twist is revealed too soon and after that it kind of gets repetitive with circling back on itself。 SPOILER ALERT。 I read lots of mysteries and thrillers but the serial killer and abuse storyline isn't my favourite。 I think I would have stayed away if I had known that's where it was going。 Also， th I'm not sure how to describe this book。 It's not quite a mystery or thriller as it devolves into dysfunctional family drama。 The writing is excellent and I was interested enough to keep reading but the twist is revealed too soon and after that it kind of gets repetitive with circling back on itself。 SPOILER ALERT。 I read lots of mysteries and thrillers but the serial killer and abuse storyline isn't my favourite。 I think I would have stayed away if I had known that's where it was going。 Also， there is no closure in this book。 The victims do not see justice and the guilty are not punished， which I'm not a fan of。 。。。more
Cat
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This is the story of four siblings raised in an extremely unhealthy atmosphere by their oddball parents。 They’re forced to study， in great detail， victims of murder and suicide。 Their mom reenacts the horror， becoming so involved it's difficult for the kids to separate fact from fantasy。 They pray for the victims in a strict methodical manner， they live in an old mansion with a vicious past， and they’re treated as outcasts by the nearby town。Charlie is the oldest， who bonds with his sister Tate， This is the story of four siblings raised in an extremely unhealthy atmosphere by their oddball parents。 They’re forced to study， in great detail， victims of murder and suicide。 Their mom reenacts the horror， becoming so involved it's difficult for the kids to separate fact from fantasy。 They pray for the victims in a strict methodical manner， they live in an old mansion with a vicious past， and they’re treated as outcasts by the nearby town。Charlie is the oldest， who bonds with his sister Tate， then there’s the twins， Dahlia and Andy， who are inseparable。 On the night of the twins’ sixteenth birthday， Andy disappears。 Dahlia is devastated; she knows he’s out there somewhere and she’s determined to find him。 The pain and loneliness are almost unbearable at times but the rest of her family seem completely oblivious to her depression。Flash forward 10 years， and the children must all return due to the sudden death of their father。 When his grave is being prepared， they’re shocked to learn there are already bones buried there。 And even more shocked when they learn the bones belong to Andy。 This starts a whirlwind of activity。This is where the book gets a little bogged down for me。 Each person is considered a suspect， and the blame game is rampant。 But bear with it， the true story will eventually come to light。 The ending isn’t huggy-lovey， but much more satisfying than I thought it would be。Sincere thanks to Atria Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review。 The publishing date was August 17， 2021。 。。。more
Britta
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Oh noooooo the ending of this boooooook。 This was a great， easy "who dunnit"， but lord that ending noooo。 It was too easy and I hated everything about it。 I won't say the book as a whole was bad。 I'd even recommend it if you want something easy and kind of literary "junk food-y"。 But ugg。 That ending。 There was so much potential and I feel let down。 Oh noooooo the ending of this boooooook。 This was a great， easy "who dunnit"， but lord that ending noooo。 It was too easy and I hated everything about it。 I won't say the book as a whole was bad。 I'd even recommend it if you want something easy and kind of literary "junk food-y"。 But ugg。 That ending。 There was so much potential and I feel let down。 。。。more
Theresa
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Great plot and setup。 The ending was a bit of a letdown， but overall the book made me feel a little better about my own dysfunctional family…
Shirley Jodouin
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An unsettling story with unsettling characters。 Family secrets。 A page turner of a novel that kept reading far into the night。
Kailee
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I loved the tongue in cheek names of the children， all subtle nods to killers and victims past。 The utter dysfunction of the family， as they grasp with not just one death， but two is almost comical， if it wasn’t so depressing。 Each character dove deep into their own spiral of despair， as they grasped for understanding。 They mourned the best that they could， given the circumstances。 In the background， a police officer lurks， ready to pounce on Andy’s alleged murder and whether it has ties to the I loved the tongue in cheek names of the children， all subtle nods to killers and victims past。 The utter dysfunction of the family， as they grasp with not just one death， but two is almost comical， if it wasn’t so depressing。 Each character dove deep into their own spiral of despair， as they grasped for understanding。 They mourned the best that they could， given the circumstances。 In the background， a police officer lurks， ready to pounce on Andy’s alleged murder and whether it has ties to the island’s infamous killings from years past。 。。。more
Ashley at Reading Themes
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This was full of family drama and mystery。 Kept me turning the pages。
Lesli
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4。5 stars - fantastically creepy gothic thriller about a family who is obsessed with true crime
Erin
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This book is dark， creepy， and twisted。 If you are interested in true crime and serial killers you will like this book！Dahlia （yes， named after Black Dahlia） returns home to the secluded island where she grew up because her father has passed。 Her twin brother Andy has been missing since they were sixteen。 When they go to bury her father， they find the skeletal remains of Andy in Dad’s grave。 I’m not spoiling anything here， this is on the jacket copy。Dahlia has 2 other siblings and they have grow This book is dark， creepy， and twisted。 If you are interested in true crime and serial killers you will like this book！Dahlia （yes， named after Black Dahlia） returns home to the secluded island where she grew up because her father has passed。 Her twin brother Andy has been missing since they were sixteen。 When they go to bury her father， they find the skeletal remains of Andy in Dad’s grave。 I’m not spoiling anything here， this is on the jacket copy。Dahlia has 2 other siblings and they have grown up with a piece of work of a mother。 She is obsessed with murder to say the least。 And there is a serial killer that has been at work on the island for most of their childhood。The book was very propulsive as you follow Dahlia， get to know her STRANGE family， and try to figure out what is going on。 It is fairly predictable， but there are plenty of plausible suspects for you to consider and to keep you guessing。I thought this was well written， original， and very entertaining！！！ I won this in a Goodreads Giveaway and I’m so excited I got to read this book！ I had considered reading the Winter Sister， but hadn’t read it yet。 Now I will definitely read more of her books！ 。。。more
Michelle Mclane
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3。5 stars-The Family Plot is a phycological thriller about a family obsessed with true crime murders who live on a small island that has been plagued by its own serial killer。 A member of the family goes missing at a young age and his sister never stops looking。 What happened to Andy？ Who is The Blackburn Killer？ All will be revealed。 I went in expecting this to be a 5 star read。 Unfortunately， I just couldn’t seem to connect with the characters。 I also found some things to be repetitive and was 3。5 stars-The Family Plot is a phycological thriller about a family obsessed with true crime murders who live on a small island that has been plagued by its own serial killer。 A member of the family goes missing at a young age and his sister never stops looking。 What happened to Andy？ Who is The Blackburn Killer？ All will be revealed。 I went in expecting this to be a 5 star read。 Unfortunately， I just couldn’t seem to connect with the characters。 I also found some things to be repetitive and wasn’t fully satisfied with the ending。 I did enjoy all of the true crime references and the solitary feel of the island。 If you enjoy books centered around serial killers， then I definitely suggest picking this one up！ 。。。more
aliyyah
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4 starsThis was so good。
Shelley Cochran
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“…the roots she planted…grown from the seed of a single lie， have been rotting from the start。”Dahlia is from a seriously messed up family。 Her twin brother left without a trace on their 16th birthday。 Dahlia left when she turned 18。 She has been home for almost 10 years and she hasn’t really stayed in touch with her parents or older siblings。 But when her dad dies she goes home and family secrets just start to bubble up。 I am really having trouble rating this The Family Plot。 I want to have emp “…the roots she planted…grown from the seed of a single lie， have been rotting from the start。”Dahlia is from a seriously messed up family。 Her twin brother left without a trace on their 16th birthday。 Dahlia left when she turned 18。 She has been home for almost 10 years and she hasn’t really stayed in touch with her parents or older siblings。 But when her dad dies she goes home and family secrets just start to bubble up。 I am really having trouble rating this The Family Plot。 I want to have empathy for Dahlia but she comes across as whiney and if anyone has a right to she does but it gets on my nerves。 Also it seemed like some of this story just absolutely dragged on and on。 But I liked the twists and turns it took near the end。 And overall I liked the premise of the story。 So I am back to the rating…3-4 stars maybe！ 。。。more
Tina
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Charlie， Tate， Dahlia and Andy Lighthouse are siblings， all named after murder victims。 We learn that Dahlia is named after Black Dahlia an actress who was murdered。 Charlie was named after the Lindbergh baby。 Tate was named after Sharon Tate and Andy was named for Lizzie Borden's father。 They grew up in isolation on Blackburn Island。 In the first chapter you’ll read how screwed up their childhood was and wonder if any parent could be so horrible。 They weren't beaten or physically abused but the Charlie， Tate， Dahlia and Andy Lighthouse are siblings， all named after murder victims。 We learn that Dahlia is named after Black Dahlia an actress who was murdered。 Charlie was named after the Lindbergh baby。 Tate was named after Sharon Tate and Andy was named for Lizzie Borden's father。 They grew up in isolation on Blackburn Island。 In the first chapter you’ll read how screwed up their childhood was and wonder if any parent could be so horrible。 They weren't beaten or physically abused but the psychological damage is crazy。 They thought it was normal to discuss crime cases， murders and made diaramas of the murder scenes。 To them， that was normal as they were never exposed to a traditional childhood of riding bikes， going to school with others， plaing Candyland， etc。We meet all the children （except Andy） as adults when they returned home after their father died。 Andy is Dahlia’s twin and he disappeared years ago after stating the only way to change was to get out。 It gets better （not） when the father’s intended gravesite already has a body occupying the space。 It’s Andy， his head cleaved with an ax。 This is not a spoiler。 I struggled through the first part of the book， then I started flipping ahead as this was a complimentary copy and I felt I had to give a review。 It was my understanding this is a mystery but I would have added horror to the genre， just because of the psychological mind fuck these children endured。 Based on this book I would not read any other novels by this author。 Just not my cuppa tea。Publication date August 17， 2021 by Atria Books。 Genre: Mystery and Thrillers。Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader's copy of this book， all opinions are mine。 。。。more
Beverly
，