THE FAMILY PLOT by Megan Collins

 

From the author of The Winter Sister and Behind the Red Door, this “masterpiece of gothic suspense and horror, filled with dark family secrets and stunning twists” (Michele Campbell, author of It’s Always the Husband) follows a family obsessed with true crime as they gather to bury their patriarch—only to find another body already in his grave.

At twenty-six, Dahlia Lighthouse is haunted by her upbringing. Raised in a secluded island mansion deep in the woods and kept isolated by her true crime-obsessed parents, she is unable to move beyond the disappearance of her twin brother, Andy, when they were sixteen.

After several years away and following her father’s death, Dahlia returns to the house, where the family makes a gruesome discovery: buried in their father’s plot is another body—Andy’s, his skull split open with an ax.

Dahlia is quick to blame Andy’s murder on the serial killer who terrorized the island for decades, while the rest of her family reacts to the revelation in unsettling ways. Her brother, Charlie, pours his energy into creating a family memorial museum, highlighting their research into the lives of famous murder victims; her sister, Tate, forges ahead with her popular dioramas portraying crime scenes; and their mother affects a cheerfully domestic facade, becoming unrecognizable as the woman who performed murder reenactments for her children. As Dahlia grapples with her own grief and horror, she realizes that her eccentric family, and the mansion itself, may hold the answers to what happened to her twin.

MY THOUGHTS: 

This is a bit of a hard review to write. I loved this  book but also figured out who the killer was. The Blackburn Killer that is. This family has been haunted by him for many years. So many murders. So many women. How could this happen on this island and no one know who is doing it. Did the same person kill Andy. How will Dahlia go on knowing her twin is not gone off somewhere but dead. Murdered no less. There is a lot going on in this book but it's not really hard to keep things in perspective. Each sibling is dealing with things in their own way. 

I liked the characters in this book but only a little bit. They are definitely one messed up dysfunctional family. The mother I didn't like at all. She was to much for me. A bit cold and definitely a very strange person. Having her children named after serial killers and part of their learning is about murderers. How can a mother mess up her children this way. She was awful. I didn't like her. Their dad of course is dead from the start and that is why they all came back home. But he was not a good dad. Not with his daughters anyway and certainly not with his sons either. He was a bit out there too. I think him and their mother were a good match but should not have had children together. They didn't know how to be parents. Not normal parents.

You will feel like you are with this family as they unravel what happened throughout the years. As they figure out what happened to Andy and find out many secrets. You won't know who to trust or who may be involved in the twisted things that happened. The children, though adults now, are just messed up. But they do have hope. They can be fixed. If they will leave this island and never look back. And get into some therapy. The descriptions are so well done and the edge of your seat thrills are great. The mystery is unfolded and you won't be left hanging with any questions. This author did a great job of writing this book. It's a bit on the dark side in places but it fits perfectly. I enjoyed it even though I did figure it out. I saw a movie that had  almost this same storyline in it. Almost!!

Thank you #NetGalley, #MeganCollins, #Atria for this ARC. This is my own true feelings about this book.

4/5 stars and a high recommendation. Enjoy!