What Have You Done (Adler and Dwyer)
A Washington Post and Amazon Charts bestseller.
Family is not what it seems in this raw, edgy thriller that New York Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline says "you won't be able to put down."
When a mutilated body is found hanging in a seedy motel in Philadelphia, forensics specialist Liam Dwyer assumes the crime scene will be business as usual. Instead, the victim turns out to be a woman he'd had an affair with before breaking it off to save his marriage. But there's a bigger problem: Liam has no memory of where he was or what he did on the night of the murder.
Panicked, Liam turns to his brother, Sean, a homicide detective. Sean has his back, but incriminating evidence keeps piling up. From fingerprints to DNA, everything points to Liam, who must race against time and his department to uncover the truth--even if that truth is his own guilt. Yet as he digs deeper, dark secrets come to light, and Liam begins to suspect the killer might actually be Sean...
When the smoke clears in this harrowing family drama, who will be left standing?
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Community Reviews
Liam Dwyer is a forensics specialist and his older brother, Sean, a homicide detective on the same Philadelphia police force. When Liam arrives at the scene of a murder in a dingy motel, he discovers, to his horror, that the victim is a woman for whom he cared deeply and with whom he had an extramarital affair. Her mutilated body has been staged in a deliberate manner. Liam is terrified by the fact that he has absolutely no memory of where he was or what he did on the night of the murder. He woke up in his bathtub -- a place he would ordinarily never be because of the childhood trauma he suffered that left him terrified of both water and bathtubs.
As always, Liam looks to Sean for support and answers. Sean assures Liam that they will find the killer, despite the fact that the indisputable evidence they uncover, including DNA and fingerprints, incriminates only one person: Liam.
Liam is desperate to learn the truth, even if it means finding out that he is capable of committing such a heinous crime. But deep down, he knows that he is not. He is convinced that someone is framing him. But why?
When additional killings and Liam's investigation point toward another suspect, he refuses to believe it. Would his own brother set him up to be convicted of murders he did not commit? And is Sean actually a monster, capable of such unspeakable violence?
What Have You Done is a promising, if uneven, debut novel from Matthew Farrell. The story starts strong, but quickly becomes bogged down in stilted, unnatural dialogue and implausible plot points (including incorrect depictions of police procedures). However, Farrell pulls the book out of its slump to deliver a second half that is fast-paced and exciting. As the authorities search for Liam, who is frantically trying to gather the evidence of his innocence, and Sean gradually unravels, Farrell capably takes readers on Liam's pulse-pounding and heartbreaking journey to the truth. The result is a thriller that is, overall, enjoyable, and inspires readers to ponder their own familial relationships.
Thanks to Net Galley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.
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