Some secrets are fun, some are exciting, and some should stay buried. Thirty years ago, the entire Dixon family disappeared in the middle of a storm. The power went out, and no one ever saw them again. Except someone did. Someone knows what happened to them. Now new people have moved into the Dixon house, and secrets are coming to light in this small town. It’s only a matter of time before the truth comes out. And when it does, You’ll Be Sorry! Lisa Gardner’s new thriller, You’ll Be Sorry, is available now, and trust me, you aren’t ready, but read it anyway!
[Note: While I am reviewing this novel independently and honestly, it should be noted that it has been provided to me by Grand Central Publishing for the purpose of this review. Warning: My review of You’ll Be Sorry contains some spoilers!]
There’s no drama like small-town drama
Shereford, New Hampshire is the kind of small town that makes other small towns envious. There’s a perfect little main street, all of two full-time cops (and a third part-time one), and the local rich family that everyone loves and secretly resents. That would be the Dixons. Their family is one of the five original founding families of Shereford. Dave, Janet, and their four children are the current generation who descend on the town each year for an idyllic summer, then leave again until the next year. But something happened in 1998. The perfect family just disappeared without a trace in the worst storm of the summer. The house looks like they just stepped away for a moment, food half eaten, puzzle half finished, shoes and coats hanging by the door. Oh, and bloody footprints criss-crossing the floor like the world’s most macabre dance diagram.
But the family is nowhere to be found. The entire property is searched, then the surrounding area. Nothing. No one ever finds a trace of the six Dixons ever again. Understandably, none of the other Dixon family branches wanted anything to do with the property. And with such a notorious history, neither did any buyers. The property sat abandoned for thirty years, and the Dixons passed into local legend, not quite forgotten but no longer the center of attention.
Until the day the property suddenly sold, sight unseen. Everyone is curious about the new couple, Theo and Raquel. Bostonians with more money than sense, most likely, and ridiculously good-looking to boot, of course. Everyone wants to stop by when they officially move in. After all, why would someone want to buy a house where an entire family just up and disappeared?
But interest in the couple and the property goes through the roof when their newly adopted (opportunistic, Raquel says) dog discovers an undocumented well on the property. A well that just so happens to have a skeleton in it! That’s just the beginning of the secrets that are ready to be revealed. It’s just a matter of time before all of Shereford’s secrets come to light. But not everyone wants that. Those secrets were worth killing for once, and they’re still worth killing for today.
Secrets are the name of the game in You’ll Be Sorry
Everyone has secrets in You’ll Be Sorry. From Raquel’s hidden past that she won’t talk about to the elder Chief Grady’s private police actions, to the town historians and local busybodies Mason and Betty, to the witch of the woods, Isla McLean, to the damn dog that magically shows up and knows all the property’s secrets! Some of these secrets are devastating on a personal level for the characters, and some of them have consequences for the whole town. Which secrets matter and which ones don’t? Which ones will rock the whole community and which ones will just destroy a single family? And which ones are even true? Gardner masterfully weaves all of this small-town drama into a story that will grab on tight and refuse to let you go. It’s over 300 pages long, but I finished it in one day because I couldn’t stop reading it. I had to know what was going to happen! And in classic small-town style, some of the most important secrets aren’t about the current generation, or even their parents, or even their grandparents. The collective scars on the town go back hundreds of years. The trauma is buried, but the pain is never forgotten, not really. And the one who remembers has decided that it’s time for closure. Not just for the Dixons of thirty years ago, but for a young woman who discovered a secret over 200 years ago and paid the ultimate price. Maybe once the truth is finally known, the land can heal, and happiness can return to Shereford.
So many twists
You’ll Be Sorry is a phenomenal example of a thriller mystery. The tension is high the whole time. The pace is relentless. Once things start happening, they just snowball. It’s thrilling (wink, wink). But it’s not a straightforward ride. Gardner throws in more twists than a New Hampshire mountain back road. Some of these twists are red herrings, meant to keep us off balance and unsure, but others are priceless clues. Sorting what’s important from the trash is a daunting task, so I just kept reading and let the characters do it for me! I am happy to say that one big twist I did figure out myself. I’m not sure that anything Gardner wrote gave it away; I just followed my instincts, same as Raquel and Mandy. I highly recommend getting ahold of You’ll Be Sorry today; you’ll enjoy every minute, even if you finish it the first night like me!
Rating: 10/10
You’ll Be Sorry by Lisa Gardner is available now!
Learn more about the book at the official website for the title.
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