These two books are totally unrelated, but for time they’re going into the same post!

I liked this book.  It shifts between 1977 and today.  In 1977, a young girl is trying to work at a bank that her aunt (her only family) used to work at.  She’s only 16, but she lies to get in.  She befriends a troublemaker, and together they try to figure out what shady dealings are going on at the bank.  Today, another young girl is working at an architecture firm out of college.  She’s in charge of drawing up the schematics of the now closed and defunct bank.  She’s also trying to figure out what mysteries the building holds, and she might be in danger at the same time.  She’s more of a hard-partying and smoking girl, versus the 1977 girl, who is young and innocent, but you end up rooting for both of them!

 

One night, an entire family (except for the father) is gruesomely murdered.  Pretty quickly the father (a successful surgeon) is accused and put on trial. He pleas not guilty by reason of insanity.  The story revolves around the prosecutor (Julia) trying to figure out if he was really insane, or if he is just a murderer.  There is a family history of schizophrenia, so the defense seems at least plausible.

Julia also has a history of mental issues in her family.  She’s partially inclined to believe that the Dr. was insane at the time of the murders because of her background.  This book kept me guessing the entire time.  There are twists in both the case, and the characters’ personal lives that I just didn’t see coming.  I’d definitely recommend it!