On Sale Today: The Trap

Title: The Trap (original German title: Die Falle)
Author: Melanie Raabe
Publisher: Grand Central
Release Date: 7/5/16
Version Reviewed: digital ARC courtesy of NetGalley
Rating: ★★★★

Eleven years ago, best-selling author Linda Conrads entered the front door of her home and hasn't gone through it since. She's shut herself off from life on the outside, and her home has become her entire world. From it she has written a series of acclaimed novels. But there's one story she hasn't written yet-- that of the murder of her sister, Anna. It's been a nightmare that has had no ending, a nameless killer escaping into the darkness. Until now. Because Linda Conrads has just seen the murderer reporting the news on tv.

Linda wants to get reporter Victor Lanzen's DNA for testing, but the only way she can do it is to use her writing, and her house, as a trap. She writes a book about Anna's murder and offers Lanzen an exclusive interview about it. However, her planned snare starts to go wrong almost from the beginning. Linda has to confront the uncomfortable possibility that she's kidnapped an innocent man, and that the real killer might be much closer to home. To finally close her sister's case, she's going to have to wrestle her demons and go outside.

This biggest problem with this book is a lack of consistency. Some parts are very good, and others drag. I'm not a fan of the book-within-a-book concept. I've never seen it work to a story's advantage, and The Trap is no exception. I didn't think Linda's feelings for the investigating officer added anything to the plot, and it's a theme that's overplayed in thrillers in general. That said, this is a good debut. I thought the book improved as the plot progressed, and I liked the ending. I give this a strong 3.5 stars.