A story told in three parts, this book is complex with overlaying facts and memories told through the eyes of four distinct characters.
At first, after reading the first part, I was very annoyed thinking that I had read a short story that finished abruptly and left me looking for answers. The author had cleverly conceived to then change tone and style as he changed focus character and began to further develop the scope and intrigue of the murder story, which is the basis of the book, in the second and third parts.
The plot twists its way around the vagaries of memory and shows how individual perceptions can unintentionally mask the truth. It begins with an unfinished manuscript that whets the appetite and weaves its way through the endeavours of three men to solve the murder and find the remaining portion.
As a psychological thriller, it will lead you to question every piece of information and conclusion that you come up with as you turn the next page. As the cover image suggests it is as if the story is made of slivers of mirror slowly coming back together to form a fractured yet whole image in its final stages.
The characters are all flawed in some way and are totally believable as people who you could meet on the street. Chirovici starts with a search for a lost manuscript, moves the story forward into looking for a real killer and uncovers other crimes as the story progresses. This is a sophisticated piece of writing that invites the reader to, as the slip cover states, ‘unearth the secrets of The Book of Mirrors and discover why memories are the most dangerous weapons of all.’
Reviewed by Leanne Caune
Rating out of 10: 8
Distributed by: Penguin Australia
Release Date: January 2017
RRP: $35 hardcover, $32.99 trade paperback, $12.99 eBook
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