This was a quick read and it kept me interested, but in the end I could not see the motivation behind the villain's actions, and that messed up the story for me. Also, I knew who Hal's father was quite early in the story, so there was the lack of a surprise there. ( )

“Some situations have no simple resolution; all we can do is steer the course that causes the least harm.”

This was an intriguing story. I loved the added twist of tarot cards into the plot. Hal is a Tarot card reader - one that actually earns her living on a strip selling herself as a fortune teller. But she's really a people reader - taught by the best, her mom. Her mom's sudden death before's Hal's 18th birthday meant she took over the trade, and the bills and adult stress, right around turning 18. She's had a lot on her shoulders for a long time.

So when a letter arrives in the mail - one clearly meant for another Harriet Westaway - she decides, maybe it's her time for a break. She takes the chance and decides maybe she can read a room and fake her way through a will reading and maybe get a small inheritance.

I like that Hal was an easy main character. She seemed to be a good kid trying to find her way, one that's maybe take a couple wrong turns but is finding her feet. She really was trying. I thought a lot of the twists and turns were obvious early on and so it bogged down the reveal a bit, as I waited for the Main Character to catch on - not that she was getting the peak chapters of the past like I was - but I was still impatient. I still enjoyed the mystery and the characters and the unraveling of the family dynamics. I like the idea of twist and what the aunt said near the end about the forethought. I like the idea that she was right. ( )

Classic whodunnit and I loved every minute of it. ( )

This book was amazing. It kept me guessing and predicting what the big secret would be and yet I was still unprepared for the end. It was a twist I didn't forsee even after all the creepy or just kinda off things that had occurred. Definitely a must read ( )

Harriet (Hal) is just about at the nadir of her young life so far (she’s behind on her rent, her tarot reading booth at the Brighton pier isn’t pulling in enough customers, the money she owes to the loan shark is very, very due, and since her mother’s death she feels completely alone in the world). And then she receives a letter from a solicitor telling her that her rich grandmother has died and she is named as an heir in the will. The only trouble is that her grandparents have been long dead, so there must be some mistake. But she needs the money. So she decides to take a chance that her skills of deception in the tarot booth will transfer to this situation, and she sets off on a trip to the funeral and the will reading, set to fool the old woman’s real family. Of course, she finds that she’s stepped into a way more interesting and dangerous situation than she could ever have guessed.

A fun mystery/thriller with a good cast of characters. Certainly kept me turning the pages to see if my hunches were right. ( )