Tuesday, February 21, 2023

It's One of Us

It's One of Us by J. T. Ellison
2/21/23; 400 pages
MIRA

It's One of Us by J. T. Ellison is a highly recommended psychological thriller.

Olivia Bender desperately wants to be a mother so when she miscarriages again, after the latest fertility treatments and IVF, she doesn't want to tell her husband, Park, that she has failed again. (Trigger warning.) Before she can talk to him, however, the police show up at their home. DNA from the crime scene at a recent murder investigation show that the perpetrator is Park's son. But Park doesn't have any children, or does he? It then comes out that years ago Park donated sperm to a clinic. He has no idea how many times his sperm was used. Additionally, the scene of the murder seemingly mirrors that of Park’s ex-girlfriend in college, where he was briefly a suspect.

Chapters in the narrative are told through the point-of-view of multiple characters and each viewpoint makes the dialogue more rich and complex along with furthering the character development. The multiple viewpoints work well in this novel and adds realism and complexity to the plot. The chapter openings note who is talking/thinking during that particular section of the story.

Secrets play a huge role in the plot and add to the twisty layers of the narrative. Suspects are plentiful as well as secrets. Some secrets characters hold, such as participating in a group of women or offspring of a specific sperm donor, seem obvious. Others seem more nefarious. The characters are portrayed as complex, realistic individuals and are interesting.

The writing in excellent, as one would expect from J. T. Ellison. The story will totally engage you and keep you reading to the end. Some of the twists and ending are predictable, but the journey is still worth the read. There are plenty of revelations, betrayals, connections, and secrets exposed to keep you totally engrossed in the narrative. There is a very personal author's note at the end that many readers will appreciate.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of MIRA.

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