Thank you Simon & Schuster Audio for the ALC and Atria Books #partner, for the advanced copy of Thicker Than Water in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Atria Books/ Simon & Schuster ALC
Published: July 11, 2023
Summary:
Two sisters-in-law find themselves at painful odds when the man who connects them—the brother of one, the husband of the other—is accused of a brutal crime in this twisty thriller from the author of the “exceedingly entertaining” (The New York Times) The Family Plot.
Julia and Sienna Larkin are sisters-in-law, connected by Julia’s husband and Sienna’s brother, Jason. More than that, the two are devoted best friends and business partners, believing that theirs is a uniquely unbreakable bond. To Sienna, her protective brother can do no wrong, and although Julia knows he’s not perfect, they’ve built a comfortable life and family together. Recently, Jason has been putting in long hours to secure a promotion at work, so when his boss is found brutally murdered—his lips sewn shut—the Larkins are shocked and unsettled, especially as local gossip swirls.
A few days later, Julia and Sienna’s lives are upended when Jason gets into a car accident and is placed in a medically induced coma. Worse, the police arrive with news that he’s the prime suspect in the murder investigation. With Jason unable to respond—and with Julia and Sienna working to clear his name—the two women find their friendship threatened for the first time: Sienna staunchly maintains her brother’s innocence, but as their investigation uncovers a complicated web of secrets, Julia is less sure she’s willing to defend her husband.
With her signature “moody and atmospheric” (USA TODAY) writing, Megan Collins has crafted a rich, gripping story that explores just how fragile our closest bonds can be.
My thoughts:
I’ve been a fan of Megan Collins’ books ever since reading The Winter Sister. I’ve now read all four of her books, including this one and I just love how atmospheric and tense her books are.
I always enjoy a good domestic suspense novel and when you add in a sibling dynamic to the mix, it definitely makes for an interesting read. While there is a murder to be solved here, what really makes this book stand out is the relationship between sisters-in-law Julia and Sienna, and how the strong bond they have gets tested once things go haywire after Jason, the one that ties them together, ends up in a coma after an accident shortly after his boss is murdered.
I really loved how this book was told from the alternating perspectives of Julia and Sienna. It allowed us to be in their heads and seeing how they were dealing with everything as it came to them. We see just how complex these women were and how complicated their relationships were with each other and with Jason. As they start looking into things, they soon realize not everything is as it appears to be and they soon realize they don’t know who they should trust.
This was such suspenseful, twisty story and it all came together in quite a surprising way – and I loved that! Again, any thriller that can surprise me is a huge win in my book!
Audio thoughts:
I love listening to Megan Collins’ books – they just translate really well to audio and this one was no exception. The two narrators, Gail Shalan and Emily Tremaine, did a great job bringing the story to life, infusing just the right amount of suspense and tension into their voices as needed.
