Book Review of Under Her Care by Lucinda Berry 3.5/5

A disturbing psychological thriller that you won’t want to put down.

I became a fan of Lucinda Berry last year after reading ‘Phantom Limb,’ so when I saw ‘Under Her Care’ on Amazon First Reads I knew I had to check it out.
I’m so glad I did.

We read for the pleasure of it.
We read to escape.
We read so that for a moment in time.. We get to really live.

Lucinda Berry takes you out of your head, your life, and all of the chaos that surrounds us each day and puts you in a story so full of twists and turns that it’s almost a relief to return to reality.

But don’t just take my word for it..
Read it and find out for yourself!

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Under Her Care by Lucinda Berry

Publication date: June 1, 2022
Pages: 279
Genre: Domestic Thrillers, Suspense, Psychological fiction
Standalone

First line: Blood isn’t sweet. Not like they say it is. In the books. Those ones Mama reads.

A woman is dead, brutally murdered, and the only true witness is a boy with no words.
A boy covered in the victim’s blood..
But did he do it?

Genevieve Hill, social butterfly and former pageant queen, loves her son to a fault.
Is she protecting a killer?

Casey Walker, an expert with children who have autism for almost twenty years, has been called in to aid the police in their investigation of Mason Hill. Mason, diagnosed with autism as a toddler, was found over the body of the dead woman and covered in her blood.
The police are positive they have their killer.. they just need a little help in getting the boy to confess.

Lacking critical information from the detective in char and becoming increasingly more suspicious of Mason’s fiercely protective mother,
Casey knows she’s in over her head.
One thing she knows for certain is that there’s more going on here than she’s being told.
Determined to find the truth, hoping for proof of Mason’s innocence, Casey digs into the past of a family too perfect to be real..
But what she finds is much darker and more disturbing than she could have ever imagined.

Three and a Half Stars

Characters: Distinct. Interesting.
Storyline: Engrossing. Well written.
Writing: Smooth.
Pace: Steady. Character driven.
Cover: 3/5

POVs
Casey Walker, Genevieve Hill, Mason Hill, and later Savannah Hill

“There’s never been a killer among us. Tuscaloosa, Alabama, has lots of community sins; murder just isn’t one of them.”

I love wtf reads, I really do, and Lucinda Berry does them SO well.
The characters here are very distinct, and despite very little backstory, their voices are strong. You’re not going to be switching between POV’s and get all confused about who is who.

Casey is great lead protagonist.
She’s kind, intelligent, cautious, and warmhearted.
Casey makes it her mission to find the truth and not just what everyone is spoon-feeding her. There’s more to this story and she can’t help but remain hopeful that what she finds doesn’t lead them to Mason.. He’s just a boy and he reminds her so much of her own little girl, Harper.

I really did expect a stronger bond to form between Casey and Mason but, strangely, they see very little of each other at all.. and considering she was called in with the sole purpose of opening communication between them, this confused me.

“It’s strange being called onto a case because of my experience with autism but having so little interaction with the child who has it.”

Good ol’ Detective Layne is a moderately tolerable human being one moment and a condescending ass the next. He may have brought Casey in to help determine Mason’s involvement but, really, he expects her to come to only one conclusion.. His. There are no other potential leads or suspects being considered. He just wants Casey to confirm the story he’s decided on.. and that’s that a dangerous boy with a history of aggressive behavior killed the mayor’s wife in a fit of violence. It doesn’t even have to be true.
I would have very much liked to kick him.

“I have no doubt he’ll do whatever needs to be done in the interest of the greater good, even if it means tweaking the truth at times.”

Now Genevieve, Mason’s mother, she’s the one to watch.
This woman belongs in a V.C. Andrews novel because, wow, she’s a complete sociopath. We’re shown this melodramatic, over-protective, super mom who has done incredible things in raising awareness and understanding for those who have autism. Still, there’s something not right to Casey, she’s a little too perfect..
Until she isn’t.

“Genevieve looks really good on paper, but there’s something about all of it that doesn’t sit right with me. It’s just all so perfect. I never trust perfect.”

Dispersed throughout are these fractured glimpses into Mason’s thoughts.. and, I have to say, it’s heartbreaking. These snapshots into his mind are packed full of so much pain, confusion, and anger that it cuts deep.. and I bled.

The storyline did feel a little messy. There’s a lot of information that is either missing, doesn’t make sense, or never gets explained and it made the reading experience frustrating at times but I don’t think it was ever frustrating enough to prevent you from enjoying the story.

I was not happy with the ending.
Or rather.. that shouldn’t have been the way it ended. Does that make sense? It’s almost as though the book is missing another three or four chapters. You know.. the ones that wrap everything up in a nice neat bow before we dust our hands of it. Nope. Not here. I don’t know it can technically be called a cliffhanger but it sure as hell feels like it.

I would recommend this book to anyone who can appreciate unsettling domestic thrillers and to fans of authors like Lisa Jewell and Zoje Stage.

Well, that’s all for now.

Today my family is getting together to celebrate my birthday and Memorial Day in tandem so I’m off to surround myself with a whole lot of crazy.
Wish me luck!

What are you reading?