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THE UNDOING
by Averil Dean
MIRA, December 2015
283 pages
$15.99
ISBN: 0778317390


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

This mystery employs the unusual technique most famously captured in the movie, Memento, of beginning at the end of the story and working backward through time to explain how things ended up the way they did. In this case, that means the murderous death and suicide of all four main characters.

The story centers on three childhood friends - Celia, her stepbrother Rory, and his best friend (and Celia's boyfriend) Eric. They form a unique bond that they carry into adulthood and eventually decide to buy a run-down hotel, the Blackbird, that they jointly work to renovate. The Blackbird seems as much a character as a building and a reminder of who and where they are, perched perilously over a ravine on Jawbone Cliffs.

A fourth central character is Julian, a former world ski champion. He's the ultimate outsider who sees what's going on and seems to know just what buttons to push to set the whole delicate balancing act among the three friends tumbling down.

As jealousies are exposed and long-held secrets revealed, the whole thing begins to crumble into madness and murder. The story is characterized by doubt, betrayal, and obsession. At the heart of the story is the question of just who is manipulating whom? And toward what end?

This dark, brooding tale is supported by Averil Dean's fine command of her characters. They are remarkable in their flawed yet believable personalities. Readers will eagerly delve into their individual traits and foibles, as well as dark family histories, thus ultimately preparing for what the end (or should I say, beginning?) of this tale will be.

§ Christine Zibas is a freelance writer and former director of publications for a Chicago nonprofit.

Reviewed by Christine Zibas, January 2016

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