Review - Look in the Mirror

Title:  Look In the Mirror

Author:  Catherine Steadman

Publisher:  Ballantine Books

Genre:   Mystery & Thrillers

Format:  Kindle ARC

No. of Pages:   320

Date of Publication:   July 30, 2024

My Rating:   3 Stars

DESCRIPTION:

Nina, still grieving from the loss of her father, discovers that she has inherited property in the British Virgin Islands—a vacation home she had no idea existed, until now. The house is extraordinary: state-of-the-art, all glass and marble. How did her sensible father come into enough money for this? Why did he keep it from her? And what else was he hiding?

Maria, once an ambitious medical student, is a nanny for the super-rich. The money’s better, and so are the destinations where her work takes her. Just one more gig, and she’ll be set. Finally, she’ll be secure. But when her wards never show, Maria begins to make herself at home, spending her days luxuriating by the pool and in the sauna.

There’s just one rule: Don’t go in the basement. That room is off-limits. But her curiosity might just get the better of her.

And soon, she’ll wish her only worry was not getting paid.

Link to purchase the book

MY THOUGHTS:

Nina has lost her father, and misses him madly. She discovers that he left her property in the British Virgin Islands, so she goes to see it. What she discovers is a posh house, showing that her father just might have been affluent, and tries to decide what she will do with the house. Quite naturally, she explores the house, but one point is made clear to her. Do not go in the basement.

In a secondary timeline, there is Maria. In medical school currently, she takes a nannying job sight unseen. She settles herself in the fancy house, awaiting the arrival of the parents and her new charges. She also gets a single mandate. Do not go in the basement. 

Will these two timelines converge? There is plenty of intrigue to be sure, creating much curiosity. For chess lovers, there is mention of Andersson’s Opening, a famous, but not one considered wise. As I was reading this book, I wondered how this reference would play into the intrigue of the story. 

So, for both Nina and Maria - curiosity killed the cat for sure. Question is: would that very curiosity take their lives? Keeping track of each of them was easy, while the drama and danger grew with each page.

Many thanks to  and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Catherine Steadman is an actress and writer based in North London, UK. She is best known for her role as Mabel Lane Fox in Downton Abbey and is currently filming on the new Starz television series 'The Rook'. She grew up in the New Forest, UK, and lives with a small dog and an average sized man. Something in the Water is her first novel.

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