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The thing I love about this book is the journey Michael Malone took me on with grieving widow Paula. Her sense of loss infiltrating every action and reaction she had, without overwhelming the story. Thus highlighting this author's strength: the way he weaves the characters in a solid, engrossing storyline.

Each relationship Paula had with the other characters was different, the way she acted when around them was different. It seems such an obvious thing to say, but it might not ordinarily happen; think about it, I know I act differently according to whom I'm with, yet characters in books are sometimes so rigidly written, that their interactions are quite uniform. The natural fluidity here therefore, makes his characters more realistic in my view, more relatable, more likeable. And I did like Paula, grieving for her husband, as well as still mourning the death of her son 7 years earlier. It's no wonder then that once she is approached by Cara, she insists on knowing the truth about their deaths.

The storyline is as strong as you'd expect from Michael; full of twists and turns that kept me on my toes and totally engaged with the plot. Those cheeky, relatively short chapters ensuring that I did the 'oh just one more' thing, that stopped me from doing anything as useless as tidying. So whilst my brain is thankful for After He Died, my house is probably less so! The pace is punchy without me feeling rushed, beautifully crafted, and written with his usual flair.

With each novel by Michael Malone we get something different, and it's great being surprised by them. I loved After He Died, and I, of course, would heartily recommend it to you.