Nina Hepworth and her father were close. That's why she was surprised at the letter from a law firm after his death informing her of an additional will: he left her a property in the Caribbean on the island of Gorda in the British Virgin Islands. The house is three thousand square feet of glass and steel, diametrically opposed to her father's cozy, cluttered townhouse in London and seems completely out of character for Nina's kind, humble, yet brilliant father. Catherine Steadman's Look in the Mirror takes us along on Nina's crazy quest for the truth. Nothing could've prepared this reader for what Nina discovers.
Parallel to Nina's story is Maria's. Twenty-something Maria has been on hiatus from medical school while she saves up money nannying for very well-off clients. Her most recent job takes her to a high-end house in the Caribbean where she is told to make herself at home until the client and their children return. Her only clear instruction is to not enter the basement room. When days go by and no client appears, Maria finds herself stuck in a dangerous and deadly labyrinth under the house.
Where Nina's and Maria's stories intersect is when the truth begins to unravel. It becomes clear that Maria is in the same house that Nina inherits from her father, so what is the common thread? At one point Nina thinks that "It is always dangerous to look too hard into the lives of those you love and respect more than anything". Is Nina's father someone completely different than she thought? Or is something much more sinister and complex going on here?
Catherine Steadman creates a clever and fast-moving plot with authentic, substantial characters. Look in the Mirror is a wonderful riddle of a thriller and its intelligent writing by Steadman make it a stand-out. I give Catherine Steadman's most recent novel five stars out of five.
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