Ratings66
Average rating3.7
The Delaney family love one another dearly—it’s just that sometimes they want to murder each other . . .
If your mother was missing, would you tell the police? Even if the most obvious suspect was your father?
This is the dilemma facing the four grown Delaney siblings.
The Delaneys are fixtures in their community. The parents, Stan and Joy, are the envy of all of their friends. They’re killers on the tennis court, and off it their chemistry is palpable. But after fifty years of marriage, they’ve finally sold their famed tennis academy and are ready to start what should be the golden years of their lives. So why are Stan and Joy so miserable?
The four Delaney children—Amy, Logan, Troy, and Brooke—were tennis stars in their own right, yet as their father will tell you, none of them had what it took to go all the way. But that’s okay, now that they’re all successful grown-ups and there is the wonderful possibility of grandchildren on the horizon.
One night a stranger named Savannah knocks on Stan and Joy’s door, bleeding after a fight with her boyfriend. The Delaneys are more than happy to give her the small kindness she sorely needs. If only that was all she wanted.
Later, when Joy goes missing, and Savannah is nowhere to be found, the police question the one person who remains: Stan. But for someone who claims to be innocent, he, like many spouses, seems to have a lot to hide. Two of the Delaney children think their father is innocent, two are not so sure—but as the two sides square off against each other in perhaps their biggest match ever, all of the Delaneys will start to reexamine their shared family history in a very new light.
Reviews with the most likes.
This was fantastic, it was really well written and researched. An added part of the charm was listening to it being read with an Australian accent.
Characters were well written and I especially liked the sibling relations. Thought the pacing was great.
Things I thought were well researched and written about: tennis, ballet, physiotherapy, migraines, psychology.
I liked how at the end Stan talks about trading using a tennis metaphor.
update March 2024
ooooh a series is being released this month, I think I'll check that out too
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ = loved it & already plan to reread
⭐⭐⭐⭐ = great book that I recommend
⭐⭐⭐ = pretty solid book
⭐⭐ = I finished it, barely
⭐ = I had to let this one go
Enjoyed delving into the intricacies of the Delaney family.
When Joy, the matriarch, disappears, suspicion is cast on her husband Stan.
And how does their unexpected houseguest, Savannah, fit into the mystery?
Entertaining.