Review: Dean's List (A Gone Standalone) by Stacy Claflin

Dean's List (Gone) by Stacy Claflin

Kindle Edition, 210 pages

Published May 7th 2015 

Source: I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Description:

Lydia Harris thinks her marriage to Dean has problems. When she finds a box of news clippings her husband took great pains to conceal, however, the problems go from disappointing to dangerous. The articles report about killings nation-wide... in cities where he has traveled. She doesn't want to believe him capable of such violence, so she searches for clues to explain the hidden clippings.

As the growing evidence points to his guilt, Dean starts to act like the loving husband he once was, confusing Lydia. She must look past her love for him to uncover the truth, whatever the cost. Or she could end up next on his list.

(This is a standalone from the Gone trilogy. You don't need to read the trilogy to read Dean's List.) 

My Review:

I haven't read the Gone series and I did just fine with this story. It's a darker than the other books I've read by this author, but I still read it in one day--it's very suspenseful and gripping. 

Lydia doesn't have much of a marriage, but she does have a very controlling and finicky husband. He's a perfectionist and while she's cleaning up a spill, she accidentally discovers a deep, dark secret--a box of newspaper clippings about murders from around the nation, which all coincide with Dean's business trips.

I couldn't handle a man as controlling as Dean. Yes, Lydia has the life she's always wanted, but what's that if you don't have love? She doesn't have to work, hangs out with her girls all the time, has a big house in a coveted HOA area, fancy car, purses, shoes, clothes, etc. She kind of comes off as extremely spoiled, as do her friends, but I still liked her. Lydia really does seem to think about and care for others. Her true friends are great, although not perfect, and I loved the bonds they built.

Marriage is treated very lightly in this book, as it seems that everyone is having an affair. Okay, not everyone, but a lot of them are sleeping around (no details given). Those secrets added to the overall suspense and dark mood, but I was shocked at some of the betrayals.

I don't want to give things away, but with some amateur sleuthing and sneaking around, the story took a few intense turns and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to find out what would end up happening.  

Content: mild language; mild-moderate violence (deaths, murder, abduction, abuse--not very graphic); mild-moderate romance elements (talk of cheating, affairs, intimate relations between couples--behind closed doors). Technically clean for an older reader.

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About the Author: 

I love writing, reading, and watching most anything. My favorite shows include Supernatural, Vampire Diaries, The Walking Dead, Pretty Little Liars, and Once Upon a Time.

I've been writing and telling stories for as long as I can remember. As a kid, my story telling would get me into trouble when I would try to convince others that my stories were real.

When I'm not busy writing, I spend time with my family. I also educate my kids from home.

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