Title: The Necklace
Author: Matt Witten
Publication: September 7, 2021
Publisher: Oceanview Publishing
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 259
SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)
The clock ticks down in a heart-pounding crusade for justice.
Susan Lentigo’s daughter was murdered twenty years ago—and now, at long last, this small-town waitress sets out on a road trip all the way from Upstate New York to North Dakota to witness the killer’s execution.
On her journey she discovers shocking new evidence that leads her to suspect the condemned man is innocent—and the real killer is still free. Even worse, her prime suspect has a young daughter who’s at terrible risk. With no money and no time to spare, Susan sets out to uncover the truth before an innocent man gets executed and another little girl is killed.
But the FBI refuses to reopen the case. They—and Susan’s own mother—believe she’s just having an emotional breakdown. Reaching deep, Susan finds an inner strength she never knew she had. With the help of two unlikely allies—a cynical, defiant teenage girl and the retired cop who made the original arrest—Susan battles the FBI to put the real killer behind bars. Will she win justice for the condemned man—and her daughter—at last?
REVIEW:
**A copy of this book was provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
I was intrigued when I got the email months ago about Matt Witten’s upcoming novel The Necklace. It definitely sounded right up my alley as I am a huge thriller fan. I was absolutely not disappointed.
The story follows Susan’s journey as she travels across the country to attend the execution of her daughter’s murderer. On this journey she comes to some realizations that her anger towards this man on death row may not be the one to blame for the murder and time is running out for her to get someone to listen.
This story was so interesting. It has a lot of different angles to it as we read about the actual crime itself, which was heart wrenching to hear. We read about Susan’s grief and her relationship with her husband Danny and it becoming rocky and ending. We read about her current journey across the country and her inner turmoil. I quite enjoyed Kyra, a side character who plays a great part in this book. I love what she did for the story. I think Witten portrayed Susan’s grief in the most raw, real way. She was going through the motions of life, but hadn’t yet been able to move on from the death of her daughter. I felt her grief in my chest. That heavy, unbearable feeling was there as I read her story. As a mom, I felt her pain. Witten did a fantastic job writing that in the most real way.
The story of the mother’s suspicions that the wrong person had been convicted had me hooked from the beginning. I read the second half of this book in one sitting in just a few hours. I literally could not put it down. I had to know what had really happened. I had to know if the original convict would be put to death. I had to know what actually happen to little Amy. Matt Witten did such a good job building suspense that I was literally chained to this book needing to keep reading.
I have read quite a few books so far this year, and Matt Witten’s The Necklace is in my current top five. I have more to read, but I suspect this may remain there. The Necklace was such a remarkable book with a well thought out plot and flowed in such a seamless way, even though we were jumping around a bit in the story to fill in information. I loved everything about this book and I have absolutely nothing to critique. It was that good. Pick it up. If you love suspense or if you are wanting a good suspense novel, pick this up. You will not be disappointed.
STAR RATING: 5/5
Pick up your copy of The Necklace by Matt Witten on Amazon, Barnes and Noble or check your local bookstore. Also make sure to add it to your To Reads list on Goodreads and leave feedback for the author when you are finished. You can check out more from author Matt Witten on his website HERE.