Not a Happy Family

“It must have looked perfect, before all this. A trail of blood leads up the pale, carpeted stairs.”

Murder mysteries often shock the reader by placing dead bodies into otherwise normal environments. The Prologue brings the reader gently into the posh suburbs of Aylesford, an aerial view that drops slowly to the Merton home, and then quickly shatters that world by introducing the trail of blood, then the bodies of both murdered Mertons.

“Audrey was supposed to be celebrating Easter dinner at her brother Fred’s place with the family, and she had been particularly looking forward to it this year. She would have enjoyed it much more than usual, knowing what she knows.”

The novel relies on secrets that twist expectations and create confusion. This is the first of what will become dozens of secrets the characters are keeping from each other, from the detectives, and from the reader. Audrey at this point does not share her secret—that brother changed his will to leave her half of his fortune. Within 30 pages, she will find out that Fred never followed through, and her world will shatter.

“He’s never resented his father more than he does right now, this very minute—it’s because of his father that he’s in this mess, and he doesn’t deserve it.”

This sentence, a complex and chaotic run-on, suggests Dan’s penchant for explosive emotions, part of his emergence early on as the primary suspect. As the novel unfolds, he reveals a shocking level of discontent, resentment, and rage. This line also introduces Dan’s primary issues: his financial struggles and his desperation for the family wealth to save him.