Look Closer

David Ellis … you are a freaking magician.  Look Closer, you say? You played the ultimate shell game.  I watched you put the ball under one of those shells and switch them all around before my eyes, but your sleight of hand was masterful and I never once guessed where that ball ended up, no matter how closely I looked.

So who are the “shells” in this game?  You have married couple Simon Dobias and his wife Vicky Lanier Dobias, a law professor and victims advocate, respectively,  wealthy socialite Lauren Betancourt, and financial planner, Christian Newsome.  What is the “ball” being played? Well, on the surface I’d say it’s Simon’s $21 million dollar trust fund that’s due to become his without strings in just a matter of days, and all four of these characters are keenly aware of it.

Small change to the game, though: one of them won’t make it through Halloween night.  That’s one shell out of the game, but I promise it won’t matter.  Ellis is going to mess with your head with the remaining three, so buckle up.

Normally I’d give a longer rundown of the story and plot, but this is definitely an occasion where the less said the better.  I personally think even the blurb says way too much, so I’d recommend going in as blind as possible for ultimate enjoyment.

I listened to this on audiobook, narrated by a full cast: Will Damron, Hillary Huber, Elizabeth Garrett, and Steve West, all of whom did a stellar job giving voice to these characters.

It says something when I tell you that I don’t even like magic, but I’d watch Ellis play this game all day long, just so I could walk away with a smile on my face at how many times and in how many ways he fooled me!  If you want to read a murder mystery/thriller done right, I recommend you look closer at this one. I know I’ll be eagerly watching for what else he has up his sleeve!

★★★★★