Review: A Nearly Normal Family by M.T. Edvardsson

Title: A Nearly Normal Family

Author: M.T. Edvardsson

Published: June 2019, Celadon Books

Format: ARC Paperback, 400 pages

Source: Publisher

Summary: 

M.T. Edvardsson’s A Nearly Normal Family
is a gripping legal thriller that forces the reader to consider: How
far would you go to protect the ones you love? In this twisted narrative
of love and murder, a horrific crime makes a seemingly normal family
question everything they thought they knew about their life—and one
another.

Eighteen-year-old Stella Sandell stands accused of
the brutal murder of a man almost fifteen years her senior. She is an
ordinary teenager from an upstanding local family. What reason could she
have to know a shady businessman, let alone to kill him?

Stella’s
father, a pastor, and mother, a criminal defense attorney, find their
moral compasses tested as they defend their daughter, while struggling
to understand why she is a suspect. Told in an unusual three-part
structure, A Nearly Normal Family asks the questions: How well do you know your own children? How far would you go to protect them?

My thoughts:  I love family dramas and I love books that constantly keep me thinking. This one hits the marks on both of these, keeping you on the edge of your seat as you try to figure out just where things will end up.

Just how far will you go to protect your family? That’s the question this family is forced to grapple with when their daughter is accused of murder. And the way the story is laid out really allows you to stand in each person’s shoes as they wrestle with the unthinkable. Did she do it or not? And if she did…how far do they go to protect her?

I loved the way the story is crafted because all the way until the very end you really are not sure just what happened that fateful night. The story is broken into three parts, each part narrated by the three members of the family. It is in these three sections that we learn about each of them – secrets from their past, how they are dealing with the crime and some actions they took along the way. 

This book will make you question everyone. I loved that because I truly did not know what really happened. Just as I thought I had it figured out, another secret would be revealed. Everyone had ulterior motives and everyone had their secrets and this made for some really good family and courtroom drama. This book is just as much about the trial as it is about the family dynamics which is what kept me hooked.

I cannot recommend this book enough. It’s a unique family drama/legal thriller that will appeal to a wide range of readers. And I definitely cannot wait to see what comes next from this author – he is definitely one to watch!