The Family Plot
The Family Plot is a unique, dark, and mysterious story about a bizarre family obsessed with the history of murders and a local serial killer.
At twenty-six, Dahlia Lighthouse has a lot to learn when it comes to the real world. Raised in a secluded island mansion deep in the woods and kept isolated by her true crime-obsessed parents, she has spent the last several years living on her own, but unable to move beyond her past—especially the disappearance of her twin brother Andy when they were sixteen.
With her father’s death, Dahlia returns to the house she has avoided for years. But as the rest of the Lighthouse family arrives for the memorial, a gruesome discovery is made: buried in the reserved plot is another body—Andy’s, his skull split open with an ax.
Each member of the family handles the revelation in unusual 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 façade, 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.
What were the characters like in this story?
Lord the family and supporting characters in this book were a complete trip! The whole entire family is truly unhinged due to their upbringing and their own mother’s issues. (you’ll have to read the story to learn all the crazy details). The whole time I was reading I kept thinking how badly this dysfunctional family needed therapy.
This book is labeled as a thriller, did you find it thrilling?
To me this book was more of a mystery rather than a thriller. At no point in the story was I biting my nails. The story itself had quite the unique premise, but I had guessed the ending before I was halfway through. Although, there was one twist I did not see coming.
How was the pacing in this book?
This was a slow burn story with a few gripping and fast parts, but became repetitive at about the halfway mark. I actually wish the story itself had been longer with a more fleshed out plot and characters.
Do you recommend this book?
If you are someone who likes a story full of unlikeable and unreliable characters then this book will speak to you. For me this book just didn’t hit the mark and I was left feeling a bit underwhelmed.
