What a disappointment! I was so happy when I won ARROWOOD from firstlookbookclub.com/dearreader.com. Laura McHugh's last book was so well received and had so many favorable reviews, I assumed ARROWOOD would also be good.

My two biggest complaints about this book: people keep saying and doing implausible things, and too much of the book describes boring events that seem to have nothing to do with anything (such as a too-long description of cleaning an old home). Is that three complaints?

I should have given up on this book when I got to page 50.

I enjoyed this modern take on the gothic mystery genre. Arden Arrowood is back home in the ancestral home that she was forced to leave as a child after a family tragedy. As her new life back home develops, the reader learns about the tragedy that shaped her life and continues to haunt her. Add in an interesting journalist whose passion is searching for answers to cold cases and the story takes some unexpected turns.