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Dec 15, 2013callmeprincess rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Does this girl look like a murderer to you? That was the first sentence I saw on the cover of the book, and it was enough to get me to borrow this book right away. Published in 2012, and written by James Patterson, the master of suspense and thriller, comes the confessions of a life-time, "Confessions of a Murder Suspect". Spoken in first person narrative of Tandy Angel, it flashes through her past and her present for anything that could be traced to the night her parents died. Wanting for answers, Tandy goes back to memory lane for memories even she had locked away from herself. This book is the beginning of a new brilliant series that I couldn't wait to get my hands on, fans of mystery and suspense, this one is for you! Gifted billionaires whose kids are all exceptionally talented, the Angel family seems like a family which couldn't be more perfect... Their story starts at the night when Malcolm and Maud Angel, two successful entrepreneurs were found dead in bed. Their children Matthew, Tandoori (Tandy), Harry and Hugo, were immediately labeled as the prime suspects for murder especially since none of them had shown any remorse or sadness for their parents death. It was then Tandy decided to investigate her parents murder, they weren't good parents, but they at least deserve to rest in peace. The truth is not easy, for it could possibly be linked to her brothers, or even herself. Can she even trust the people around her, if she can't even trust her own memories? Digging into one's family history is hard, you never know how many skeletons you'll find, or in Tandy's case, how many people who wanted to kill her parents, herself included. I had high hopes for James Patterson, for reading his previous series, and I'm glad to say he didn't let me down. The first thing I love about this book is how the narrator, Tandy, is talking directly to us, the readers. It feels very personal, like she was addressing me, and telling me her story. In a sense, it make me care more about what's happening in the story, since she was almost like a friend in real life. The second thing I enjoyed is how peculiar the family dynamics are, and how unique and unusual each character of the Angel family are. Mind you, the Angel kids weren't exactly what you'd call "normal", they either has laser-focus, photographic memory, virtuoso piano skill, or extremely powerful strength. Their parents' teaching brings discipline to a whole new level; punishments take the form of standing on one's head reciting landmarks in Bhutan… in the Dzongkha national language. And that's just a start. Overall the characters are all well-developed and I can't say it wasn't fun peeking into the lifestyle of the perfectionist family, and the length they will go to maintain that way. "Confessions of a murder suspect", as the name entails, deals with a murder first hand and the "confessions" Tandy, one of the murder suspect, has to say regarding her parents death. The title grabs the audience's attention, and in the end delivers exactly what they wanted. Reading this novel was like playing a guessing game, it was interesting seeing how I kept making up crazy theories for the murder, and suspense is really the key to a great mystery novel. Even though the ending wasn't particularly mind-blowing, the build-up and introduction was astonishing. Excited to see what comes next for Tandy and her brothers, I can't wait for the second book!