Joni, Deb, Trina, and Eden have a yearly tradition. They get together for a holiday every year and have ever since high school. They took a break last year, but this year they resumed the tradition. After some free flowing drinks, they agree to resurrect with a new twist. They all are going to write anonymous letters revealing some big secret. The others have to identify the author. One letter reveals that a very married woman attends divorce support groups, another letter reveals that a woman has a tiny bit of a crush on another's husband. Pretty benign stuff. Except there is a fifth letter - a letter that is filled with such hate and threat of violence that it shocks them all. Well, almost them all. Joni - the main narrator of the book, seeks out a priest to help identify the writer of the fifth letter. Will they be able to find the author before something tragic happens?
I have to say that I was a little disappointed with The Fifth Letter. Having recently read another book about four friends on a yearly vacation (The River at Night) I felt that The Fifth Letter was just lacking. I didn't fully understand why Joni sought out a priest - especially when the fifth letter was finally revealed. It just seemed benign, almost childish. I mean it wasn't like there was a psycho woman chasing them through the woods or anything. Both books had a friend with a controlling husband, although their outcomes were different. I stuck with the book hoping that it would get better and really "hook" me - it just didn't.
Bottom line - I think if I hadn't read The River at Night right before The Fifth Letter I might have enjoyed it a little more. The concepts were vaguely similar, but the writing was so different it was glaring. If you had to choose between the two books, I would go for the excitement in the woods. At the very least - read them both, but months apart.
Details:
- The Fifth Letter by Nicola Moriarty
- On Facebook
- Pages: 288
- Publisher: HarperCollins
- Publication Date: 1/24/2017
- Buy it Here!
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