Holy Crap!

 As Long As We Both Shall Live - JoAnn Chaney 

                                                       

      What makes a book great? For me, it's about the story, the writing and the characters. Chaney's novel is something familiar but at the same time it's done well. This is a writer who explores the dark side of human nature, and marriage and does in a way that's compelling. Matt's first wife dies in a horrific home invasion and then twenty years later, his second wife falls off a cliff. Is it a case of bad luck or something far more sinister? The interesting thing is that deep down you think Matt not only killed his first wife, but also had something to do with Marie's dissapearance. He's not a character you get to learn a great deal about, but you can't help but feel that he's guilty mainly due to how the book is written. Add to that the second plot that's about Detective Loren and the fact that his partner suddenly dissappeared many years ago. It seems as if all of these characters are flawed in some way which adds a bit of realism to the novel. 

        As Long As We Both Shall Live is the kind of book you pick and suddenly can't put down. There's a lot of twists and turns that led to the truth of what really happened. Matt's not as innocent as he appears and Loren has a skeleton in his closet but the reality of both of these crimes take an unexpected turn once we reach the halfway point. The surprises here you don't see coming and they're pulled off with ease. While the ideas here aren't original, the ideas, and execution make it a worthy read. Thrillers like these only work if the writing is good and here, the writing is great. Each plot twist takes you by surprise and the conclusion wraps everything up nicely. It's not exacly a happy ending, but it's the kind of ending that works and you don't feel cheated. 

       There will be a lot of comparisons to another book, and I can see the similarities but it's still the kind of book that sucks the reader in and keeps them guessing. The relationship between Matt and Marie is the glue that holds this all together. Did he really kill his wives? Is he the monster the author makes him out to be? That's something you have to figure out for yourself. All I can say is that this is a book that isn't going to win any prizes for originality but it's a damn good read that moves at a steady clip. If this is ever made into a film it'll be interesting to see how it translates onto the big screen. 4 stars