Kelly Lund has not had an easy time of it. She is one half of a set of twins. Catherine, her twin sister is completely different when, at the age of 15, she takes her life. Catherine had not had an easy time of it, either. Nursing a deep desire to be an actress, she traveled in all of the wrong circles in Hollywood. At least the wrong ones for a 15 year old girl with ambitions. Kelly is the quieter twin, choosing to stay out of the limelight. Both girls live with their mother in a small apartment but Catherine is living as if she is an adult on her own.

No one truly knew why Catherine killed herself but Kelly knew who she thought was responsible. It is with that thought in mind that she enters the home of director John McFadden during a star studded party he is giving one fateful night. Shots are fired and John ends up dead. Kelly is sent to prison for 25 years for murdering him.

While in prison, Kelly marries her best friend's younger brother. Bellamy Sterling had rescued Kelly from a friendless existence in high school and her brother, Shane, had always held a crush for Kelly. Shane has waited for her all this time to be released from prison but she cannot seem to relate to him once they are living in the same house.

Then another murder happens and Kelly is, once again, in a position to be counted as a suspect. But there is a lot more going on here than meets the eye. Just as there were many secrets at that first murder years ago, there are plenty of them now. The question is will they come soon enough to save Kelly this time?

I have been a huge fan of Alison Gaylin since the first book I ever read by her and WHAT REMAINS OF ME delivers the excellence that I have come to expect from her writing. Told in a past to present back and forth manner, she weaves more than just one story. However, these stories all lead to the same destination in the end. That means that when you think you have things all figured out; you most likely do not.

Written in a compelling style that kept me reading even when I needed to be doing something else, WHAT REMAINS OF ME is much more than just a mystery. It is the story of how what seems like a single event affects those people closest to it. That is just as enthralling as the mystery at the core of this tale. Those people in WHAT REMAINS OF ME are all very important to the story and I found myself reacting to each of them in different ways.

There is not enough praise that I can offer WHAT REMAINS OF ME that would be satisfactory to me. Consider this a definite 5 star book and pick up a copy as soon as possible. Then be prepared to be drawn into a masterful puzzle and chain of events.

Book Summary

The USA Today bestselling author of the Brenna Spector series returns with her most ambitious book to date, a spellbinding novel of psychological suspense, set in the glamorous, wealthy world of Hollywood —a darkly imaginative and atmospheric tale of revenge and betrayal, presumed guilt and innocence lost, dirty secrets and family ties reminiscent of the bestsellers of Laura Lippman, Gillian Flynn, and Harlan Coben.

Nobody’s perfect. Everybody’s got a drawer somewhere with something hidden in it.

On June 28, 1980—the hottest night of the year—Kelly Michelle Lund shoots and kills Oscar-nominated director John McFadden at a party in his home. . . . And instantly becomes a media sensation, her chilling smile fodder for national nightmares. For years, speculation swirls over the enigmatic seventeen-year-old’s motives, information she’s refused to share. Convicted of the murder, she loses her youth and her freedom—but keeps her secrets to herself.

Thirty years later—and five years after her release from prison—the past has come back to haunt Kelly. Her father-in-law, movie legend Sterling Marshall, is found in a pool of blood in his home in the Hollywood Hills — dead from a shot to the head, just like his old friend John McFadden.

Once again, Kelly is suspected of the high profile murder. But this time, she’s got some unexpected allies who believe she’s innocent —of both killings—and want to help her clear her name. But is she?

Written with masterful precision and control, WHAT REMAINS OF ME brilliantly moves forward and back in time, playing out the murders side by side—interweaving subtle connections and peeling away layers of events to reveal the shocking truth.