"As Long As We Both Shall Live"

“As Long As We Both Shall Live”

Written by Joann Chaney

Review by Diana Iozzia

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for reviewing purposes.

 

I personally think I missed the mark when I read this book. This mystery / thriller book is best suited for fans of true crime news and media. I am one who very rarely enjoys watching and reading about these types of stories, so I felt that this book was not my type of thriller.

I disliked the way that this story is told. We first read from before both Janice and Marie are presumed dead. I have to warn: this book is nothing like you think it will be. There are twists upon twists in a way that was not entirely pleasant. We also read in perspectives about the detectives.

There are so many different aspects that I cannot tell, because this review is spoiler free. I might eventually plan to write a spoiler version of this review, but for now, you should be safe.

Matt’s two wives have mysteriously disappeared and been assumed dead. First, twenty some years ago. We have the most recent disappearance as our catalyst. We follow Matt protest his interest, but we learn less than comforting secrets about him and the wives.

My least favorite aspect of this book is the detective investigation. Detective Ralph Loren (ha ha, so funny) is the nastiest, most inappropriate and irritating cop I’ve read so far. His boys’ club narrative is full of filthy language and just stupid dialogue. In this day and age, why would it be entertaining to write or read a character like this? We do not love to hate him, we just hate him. I would have much preferred the story to be completely apart from the detectives, just focusing on Matt, Janice’s, and Marie’s perspective.

About half way through, we are clued in on the secret. I do not think it’s a great secret, but it goes to show how many thrillers this book was ‘inspired’ by. I enjoy one of the characters that comes out of this revelation. We also choose to sympathize or feel completely apathetic, while also questioning our moral stance on certain topics. Would you make the same decisions as these characters if you were placed in this situation?

In all, I did not enjoy this book. There were too many aspects I did not like. Too many twists led to an anticlimactic ending. I would read Joann Chaney’s writing again, but I would hope it would be different from this. She has a great writing style, but I believe she focuses on too little of what I like to read in a thriller. Some readers might enjoy this, but I just did not like it. I do not think it is a ‘bad book’, but it is certainly not my type. As I mentioned earlier, I recommend this to fans of true crime. I felt the stories were reminiscent of the case of Drew Peterson and possibly also Scott Peterson.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for reviewing purposes.