I wasn't sure what to expect when I started Mirrorland for a recent Lakeview Mystery Book Group discussion other than it would likely be a dark suspenser - and it is that.** But it's also a twisty puzzler of a book that keeps the reader off balance from first to last page.
El and Cat are mirror twins who, when the book opens, are children escaping something terrible in their home in Edinburgh. They end up in a group home but have a falling out when they're adults. Cat moves thousands of miles away to California, losing all contact with El and her husband Ross. Now twelve years have passed and Cat is on her way back to the city to which she swore she'd never return. El has gone missing after taking her sailboat out and the authorities are convinced she's no longer alive. But Cat is convinced she'd know if her twin were dead. She's sure that this is just one more game El is playing - especially when she begins to find clues left behind for her by El. Soon it becomes clear that something far more sinister was going on in El's life and as Cat puts the pieces together, she finds terrifying connections to the secrets in their childhood.
The twists and thrills in Johnstone's debut are well-earned and every time I thought I had things figured out, she'd surprise me. And, given how much reading of mysteries and thrillers I do, that doesn't happen all that often. The group had a good discussion about the book and agreed it's a page-turner that kept them on the edge of their seats. Readers who enjoy Gillian Flynn and Liz Nugent's Lying in Wait, would find much to love here.
**Though I don't always include trigger warnings, I will here as there is some pretty dark content here, including abuse of children.