I slept on this review, not wanting to give it just 3 stars but woke up knowing that I didn't feel right rating it higher.

There are only so many bad decisions and risks that a main character can take before I'm ready to throw in the towel and just give up on her. At first I wasn't at all impressed with Joan's friend from her college days but by the end of the story I couldn't blame her for being frustrated with Joan, because I was also frustrated with her. Even Joan's best friend doesn't really trust Joan. I love the atmosphere, the description of the people, town, homes, food, and the creepy feeling of never being alone, of always being watched, of something being very wrong with this town.īut Joan is an unreliable narrator with fuzzy memories and a penchant for shoplifting. A house is waiting for them, among the houses of the leaders of the town and Joan feels the claustrophobia and pressure of having all eyes on her, having these town leaders acting as if her baby belongs to them. The year is 1968 and after Joan's mother's death, meeting the love of her life, getting pregnant, and being mugged, all in quick succession, Joan and her fiancé move to Deck's hometown of Lilydale.

I did like the idea of this story but the main character, Joan Harken, torpedoes it for me. I approached this story with excitement because I enjoyed Lourey's Unspeakable Things so very much. The Stepford Wives and Rosemary's Baby get mixed in with Leave to Beaver channeling The Twilight Zone. Then again, she might have moved to the deadliest small town on earth. Her fiancé tells her she’s being paranoid. He might be right. And unless Joan is imagining things, a frighteningly familiar figure from her past is on watch in the shadows. So does the sinister secret of a little boy who vanished decades ago. An archaic organization still seems to hold the town in thrall. Joan can’t shake the feeling that every move she makes is being tracked. And yet, something is off in the picture-perfect village. Lilydale’s motto, “Come Home Forever,” couldn’t be more inviting. After spending a childhood on the move and chasing the screams and swirls of news-rich city life, she’s eager to settle down. It’s enough to drive some women mad… In a tale inspired by real events, pregnant journalist Joan Harken is cautiously excited to follow her fiancé back to his Minnesota hometown. An ITW Thriller Award and Anthony Award winner.

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