This book had so many problems. I had so many eye rolls; I was afraid my eyes would never straighten out. It followed so many standard tropes that on multiple occasions I burst out laughing. Let me list a few, in no particular order:

1. Some random files on the all-important SD card from the surveillance camera couldn’t be read. Some could, some couldn’t. Because it was left in a hot car? Dumb.

2. Speaking of files, when they were watching/listening to them, he kept wanting to skip them, including a telephone call on the last known day that Joy was around. Imagine my surprise when we find out some important information was on that actual call on her side of the phone.

3. Benny had an unreasonable anger at his next-door neighbor. For absolutely no reason I could discern, he hated the man’s guts and never would listen to a word he said. He even smashed his camera with a little or no provocation. Imagine my surprise when we find out that Ted actually had some important information that would’ve gone a long way to figuring things out way earlier.

4. I knew right from the start that Xander was behind the stalker photos. It couldn’t have been more obvious. Imagine my surprise when we find out he was, in fact, manipulating those photos to keep Joy at home.

5. Why did the police suddenly accept Xander's death as accidental? When it ratcheted up the tension on Benny, it was important. Then, suddenly, when Joy appeared, they completely accepted his death as accidental despite the head injury.

6. Benny was always leaping to totally unreasonable conclusions, like when he accused Mallory of being on the other end of that phone call that he finally listened to. He just immediately started throwing out random accusations. And then he did the same with Luna, although he happened to be right this time. What was he going to call everybody in the greater Los Angeles area and accuse them of being on the other side of the phone call?

7. Why the hell was Luna so secretive when it came to Joy‘s whereabouts? She could say she was at an unnamed home for abused women. Then we wouldn’t have gotten all this ranting and raving from everybody about where was Joy and why she couldn't tell him. But no, she had to play it coy, then suddenly blurt out exactly where she was. And somehow they arrived at the right moment, just in time, to rescue Joy.

8. And that whole unrequited love between Benny and Joy was just so freaking annoying. Get a room already. And Benny kicking himself for saying "I love you," like he had said something so horrible. He couldn’t ever apologize for it. And yet we somehow knew that she felt the same way back to him. Childish really.

9. And personally, I think Joy walked from one abusive relationship to another. Benny was always flying off the handle. I can’t imagine him as either a father or a husband. He needed some serious help, and nobody seemed to notice.

I think I could go on and on, but I think I’ve made my point. I’m going to have to stop reading “thrillers“ for a while. Nothing was thrilling about this book.