Lacy Eye - Jessica Treadway - Review AND Giveaway

Jessica Treadway's latest novel is Lacy Eye. The cover's tag line......What if you began to suspect your child of an unspeakable crime...had me intrigued.

Hanna and Joe's  youngest daughter Dawn, was always socially awkward and a step behind, "like there's something missing." When she goes away to college, they have high hopes that she will settle in and find her place in the world. What she does find is an older boyfriend, one who isn't quite what he says he is. Shortly after a visit by Dawn and Rud, Hanna and Joe are the victims of an unthinkable crime. Rud is convicted, but with an appeal looming, the crime must be revisited. Hanna's memory of that night is completely blanked out. While others question if Dawn was involved, Hanna steadfastly defends her daughter.

Steadway does a great job of drawing the reader into Hanna's mindset - the fear of reliving what happened, the frustration of not being able to remember and worst of all, the uncertainty that clouds her relationship with Dawn. Treadway takes us from present to past and back again as she slowly reveals more about Dawn, Hanna, Joe, their relationships and what might have led to where they are now. I was conflicted about the characters - I had a hard time liking Hanna and her husband, despite them being victims. Dawn is just as much a victim in many ways. I think it would have been interesting to 'see' things from Dawn's point of view as well.

The title? Lacy eye - "trying to make something prettier than it actually was." Choosing to see only what we want to see, not necessarily reality. Turning a blind eye you might say.

Treadway has taken inspiration for her book from a real life case. Those looking for a mystery or fast paced thriller won't find it in Lacy Eye. Instead, it's a slow building read to the final (expected) answer of whodunit.  Read an excerpt of Lacy Eye. You can connect with Jessica Treadway on her website.

If you think you'd like to read Lacy Eye, I have two copies to giveaway to two lucky readers. Enter using the Rafflecopter form below. Open to US and Canada, ends May 7/16.

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