Book Review: "The Newcomer" By Mary Kay Andrews

 “If anything bad happens to me—it’s Evan. Promise me you’ll take Maya and run. Promise me.”

A life in peril. A disaster in the making. A con artist able to manipulate, gaslight, and terrorize an entire family.

Nobody knew the real Evan. However, he's had a history of abuse. A man that would do anything to save face, to receive a source of supply, to replenish his benefits for himself. A selfish man devoid of empathy. A man that literally sold out his own for the sake of himself.
A family should be primary concern above all else. It should by your top priority.

In this case 'tax dodger' was a more fitting terminology for this madman who destroyed the very thing he claimed to love with no remorse.

When Tanya was murdered it was their only daughter who was left to deal with the disturbing trauma. A trauma so devastating that it caused Letty to take Maya and flee for their lives.
This story is the remarkable journey on the run, hiding in hotels, seeking justice for Tanya and Maya.

The money trail was vast but the murder trail was anything but easily enforced. After all, for abuse victims we have to wait till we are harmed before sadly anything can be done. Threats are not necessarily against the law. It's the action to carry them out that violated any rules.
This hit home deeply because I lived a similar lifestyle while fighting for custody and child support. Prior to those filings being brought to court I spent many nights out at local hotels to protect us all and would call them 'mini vacations' for our kids safety.

I'll never forget the calls upon him uncovering the truth that I not only filed for support but also for protection from abuse.

In my case my abuser violated both with warrants and his arrest imminent but not till 15k arrears accrued.

Trust me it was a nightmare but one that those who survived malignant narcissism no all too well.

The fact that wills were discussed, marital assets, transfer of titles/property deeds, hiding of bank accounts into offshore funds was something many of us know all too well.
You have to protect yourself from these toxic individuals as they don't stop until you're destroyed!

Hiring someone to do one's dirty deeds was never a concern in my case but in this one it was central and pivotal to this masterful plot.

As a longtime fan of Mary Kay Andrews she simply gets better with each novel. She's like a glass of fine wine. Aging gracefully and beautifully.

There's nothing I didn't love in this book. It flowed incredibly well. It was a super mystery from the start. It felt like you were literally on a Bonny and Clyde scenario watching over your shoulder at all times.

An incredible and exhilarating new work that I highly recommend.

I'm thrilled that the ending worked out the way it did into the epilogue.