No summer travel would be complete without a trip to France, which is exactly what you'll get in "The Caretakers" by Amanda Bestor-Siegal. Don't expect an easily solvable murder out of this summer thriller, though. According to The New York Times, "The Caretakers" is a "rejection of normal mystery conventions."
"The mysterious death of a French child is blamed on an American au pair," writes Kirkus Reviews, "but there's more to the story." While "American au pair joins rich family in Europe" is a familiar story trope, Bestor-Siegal's "The Caretakers" is a darker read, brimming with the tension and anxiety in the direct aftermath of the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks. However, it's not just the terrorist attacks that have the residents of Maisons-Larue, France — a quiet, white suburb of Paris — on edge (via Publisher's Weekly).
Alena and Lou, the Americans in the novel, "seem fated to disappoint those who dare to love them," according to Kirkus Reviews. Where love goes, disappointment follows like a shadow, and not just for Lou and Alena. "Their employers have troubles of their own," writes The New York Times, "and the au pairs are just pawns in their larger preoccupations."
Bestor-Siegal's "The Caretakers" might attract readers for its peek into the lives of affluent French families and its murder plot, but according to Publisher's Weekly, the characters themselves are the real story. A story that, while a slow burn, will capture your attention to the very last word.
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