Review: Saint X by Alexis Schaitkin

Hello everyone!

Today I wanted to share my review of Saint X by Alexis Schaitkin. I was kindly sent this ARC by Celadon books so a huge thank you to them. I read this book last month and figured I'd share my thoughts about it with you guys.

Synopsis: Claire is only seven years old when her college-age sister, Alison, disappears on the last night of their family vacation at a resort on the Caribbean island of Saint X. Several days later, Alison’s body is found in a remote spot on a nearby cay, and two local men–employees at the resort–are arrested. But the evidence is slim, the timeline against it, and the men are soon released. The story turns into national tabloid news, a lurid mystery that will go unsolved. For Claire and her parents, there is only the return home to broken lives.

Years later, Claire is living and working in New York City when a brief but fateful encounter brings her together with Clive Richardson, one of the men originally suspected of murdering her sister. It is a moment that sets Claire on an obsessive pursuit of the truth–not only to find out what happened the night of Alison’s death but also to answer the elusive question: Who exactly was her sister? At seven, Claire had been barely old enough to know her: a beautiful, changeable, provocative girl of eighteen at a turbulent moment of identity formation.

As Claire doggedly shadows Clive, hoping to gain his trust, waiting for the slip that will reveal the truth, an unlikely attachment develops between them, two people whose lives were forever marked by the same tragedy. (Goodreads)

The first thing I want to say is the first quarter of this book I loved. About 150 pages in was where I started to find myself distancing myself from the plot and characters. I slowly lost interest, and to be quite honest, I think I skimmed the last half of the book. The mystery started to become quite predictable and I ended up hating the characters.

What dragged me in initially was the authors writing style. She paints such vivid pictures with her words, but that can only carry a story so far. You have to also move your plot along. Maybe I didn't like it as much because I don't read as many mysteries. Maybe someone who loves mysteries would really like this book.

I gave this book 2 stars. ⭐⭐ The reason it got two instead of one is because I really did like the beginning. I think if it had followed Claire as a young girl, I would have liked it a lot more. I also didn't really like the added perspectives from other characters, I didn't think they were necessary.

This book will be released February 2020 if you are interested in checking it out. Just because I didn't like it doesn't mean you won't. 

Thanks for stopping by. Have a fantastic day.

~Abby