Framed, by SL McInnis {Book Review}

So….Lockdown…day 4! How are you feeling? I just want to take a moment to say thank you to every cashier, petrol attendant, doctor, banker and so many more people, who are working at this point in time, keeping our country going! I was sitting and typing this post and I realised, it’s like the Festive season, without the gifts….. Where we’re on ‘leave’, cleaning up, doing laundry, feeding the kids 107 times a day….. with the addition of a bit of homeschooling and for some of us, getting some work time in as well. Also hiding from an awful virus in our homes 🙁 What are your days going to look like going forward?

Okay….let me get to the business of today’s post…a book review! Today’s book is titled ‘Framed’…..it’s not what it looks like guys…..

What is Framed about?

One dark Los Angeles night, Beth Crawford is driving home from a dinner party, furious at her husband for spending money they don’t have. A few blocks away, a scantily dressed woman in a blonde wig lugs a suitcase full of blood-spattered cash toward a bus stop. In the streets between the two women, police cars flash past, racing to the scene of a quadruple homicide, a botched drug deal in which an undercover LAPD officer is among the dead….

With propulsive energy, deliciously unpredictable characters, and masterful plotting, FRAMED is a fresh take on this bestselling category, offering the smart, dark twists of Gone Girl and Luckiest Girl Alive with powerful suspense and a cast of characters that will get deep under your skin.

My Review

Characters and Story line

Cassie and Beth were best friends for a while and then they stopped speaking…for 12 years. Until one night when Cassie reaches out to Beth for a place to stay for a few days. What is Cassie running from? Will Beth end up regretting the decision to help her old friend?

The book centers around Beth and Cassie, as well as Jay (Beth’s husband) and some law enforcement presence.

My Review

After reading The Return, I needed something that was back in the ‘thriller’ lane, but not something too heavy or complicated. Framed was that book…. It was fast paced, twisty and I enjoyed all the twists and turns. The chapters were really short, so I found it really easy to read. It’s a book you can pick up and there’s not too much thinking to be done….it’s a straight forward read. Though, that being said….I guessed a lot of it, and I also didn’t guess a lot of it. There was perhaps a degree of unreliable narration and tricky writing (good job) , but I do enjoy having the wool pulled over my eyes….. a writer gets props from me for being able to do that.

Critique?

I really didn’t like any of the characters….they all felt so contrived, if I can put it that way. I could not understand how Beth and Jay were even a couple…they don’t seem compatible at all. Cassie…there’s nothing likable about her…her beauty and sexuality again, contrived….forced…. I’m not led to imagine and assume…I am told it. Over and over.

My rating

Framed has a Goodreads rating of 4.03 stars out of, which is an excellent rating. A lot of the reviews are rave, and for good reason. This is an entertaining and dark, twisty kind of book. I rate Framed at a solid 3.5 stars. I also need to mention that Framed is a debut novel, so I’m keen to see what this author brings us next!

Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by Jonathan Ball Publishers in exchange for an honest review.