I love a good thriller, so when the lovely people over at Book Publicity Services reached out about reading Kathryn Schleich’s book Darkness and Grace, I said heck yes. It spent a few weeks in the TBR pile, but I’m glad I got to it.

First off, Darkness and Grace is based on a true story. I absolutely NEED to know the real situation so I can compare. Call it journalistic creativity, but I gotta know. I’ll be digging into this myself, but if you happen to know what case it is about, shoot me a message and save me some time.

Anyways, back to the book…. It’s told from Kay’s perspective as she watches her brother’s second wife destroy his life. Kay, Paul, and their other brother Jack are partners in their large family real estate business. They are happy Paul found a new partner, after his first wife died, but something isn’t right with Pamela. She comes off as an angry drunk and gold digger at their engagement party, but they try to give the bride-to-be a pass.

Turns out, she really is a living nightmare. She’s manipulative and mean and controlling. Once a kid enters the dynamic, things get even worse for Paul. I’d feel bad for the guy if he wasn’t such a dumb doormat sometimes.

Darkness and Grace is a slow burn thriller. It took me a while to get into it, but after a while, I had to know how the Pierson family escaped Pamela’s relentless torture. That ending though… I was not ready. Once it got going, I enjoyed it, but some of the phrasing and pacing felt a little off at times. It’s not enough to burden the story to a point of wanting to give up. (That sounds more negative than intended!) The ending was worth the slow pace, so give it a go.