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"With great power comes great responsibility." Moxley's work is a delectable showcase of the chaos that ensues when this power is abused for personal gain. The Harrisons are nestled in the lap of wealth and opulence, punctuated by their sprawling Huntington estate. However, for at least several of the Harrison clan, it would not be an understatement to say that the almighty dollar resides where their heart should be. Beth Harrison, the matriarch, is on her deathbed when her reflections take her decades back to 1938, when a devastating tragedy becomes the catalyst for a string of grief and loss, stained with greed and desperation, spearheaded by a singularly minded John Harrison and his false sense of Harrison pride.
John founded Harrison Memorial and was the doctor whose footsteps his son Jack would grow up to follow. Yet, on a trip to England to visit his seemingly ailing father-in-law, Alistair, Jack's wife Carolynn and daughter Elizabeth drown, setting off a chain reaction of events that spans decades and completely alters the life course of everyone involved. If the connection wasn't already strained, this event wreaked havoc on the already tenuous relationship with Alistair, as well as with the royal family in England.
Undoubtedly, Moxley's ability to build tension is commendable; seeing Jack Harrison become a shell of himself after losing his wife and daughter tugs at the heartstrings, yet his parents' crass nonchalance, a "get over it, you're a Harrison" vibe, is infuriating. Moxley has a knack for creating characters readers invest in, even if it's a love-hate relationship. At the same time, a storyline shrouded in deep mystery kickstarts a never-ending spiral that raises the stakes to unimaginable heights. The tension reaches a fever pitch with the knowledge that baby Elizabeth's body was never found. What follows is a steady dose of deaths and secrets, with each reveal peeling back layer after layer, leaving only the raw, visceral truth of relationships and a "who's who" of characters and their undeniable connections.
As the work progresses into its second act, the plot introduces Austin, a five-year-old boy accompanying his father to deliver a pony at the Huntington estate. As kids do, he wanders around the estate—perhaps where he shouldn't—yet through his eyes, audiences can understand the underlying secrets at play. Whether through Austin or Cricket, Austin's childhood friend, the mystery becomes almost Inception-like in its layers. One thing is clear, however: all layers lead to dysfunction of epic proportions in the Harrison family.
Employing a steady dose of dramatic irony, Moxley sustains both a frenetic pace and audience engagement throughout. At its core, the work unearths the depths of greed, lust, and the lengths one will go to keep things the status quo. A major cover-up and conspiracy are brewing, but with a multitude of characters having a role and "skin in the game," the intrigue lies in discovering who is pulling the strings. At the expense of the Harrisons and the book's major players, Moxley delivers an entertaining storyline that pushes the limits and thrusts readers into a raging tempest of moral chaos.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review