Trust No One. Good advice, especially when your entire family seems to have something to hide.
Seventeen years away, and some family secrets still refuse to stay buried.
I’m diving into another dark, atmospheric thriller, and this one has everything I love: an isolated Virginia estate, a deeply dysfunctional family, and a killer hiding in plain sight.
In Trust No One by Mary Burton, Raine Hale returns to her crumbling childhood home after her cousin is nearly murdered, only to find herself responsible for a little girl and surrounded by people with dangerous secrets. A violent husband, a possessive ex, an old flame turned detective, and a past that refuses to stay dead.
Honestly, give me a creepy old mansion, buried family secrets, and a house full of suspects, and I’m sold.
Now, here’s where things get complicated.
I actually DNF’d this book the first time around. So much was happening, and yet somehow, absolutely nothing was happening. The story was packed with suspicious characters, tangled relationships, and questionable motives, but the plot felt like it was going nowhere.
And seriously, what was the endgame here?
Maria gets poisoned with cyanide, supposedly so her daughter can inherit Raine’s fortune, which could eventually end up in the hands of Maria’s shady husband? Raine is desperately trying to divorce her possessive ex, who refuses to leave her alone. The detective investigating Maria’s case just happens to be Raine’s old high school flame, who’s apparently still obsessed with her. And then there’s Amy, the mysterious woman who looked eerily similar to Raine and cared for her dying mother.
WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?
Too many characters, too many secrets, and not nearly enough answers.
So I abandoned it.
Except I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Every single day, this ridiculous, complicated story kept creeping back into my head. And when a book has that kind of power over me, I know it’s gotten under my skin.
Naturally, I picked it back up.
And guess what? I WAS STILL WAITING FOR SOMETHING TO HAPPEN.
But here’s the funny part: I’m genuinely glad I gave it another chance.
Yes, it felt longer than it actually was, and yes, certain characters made me want to scream. But somewhere along the way, I realized I was completely hooked.
I loved Raine, Molly, Edith, and Judson. As for everyone else? Let’s just say my opinions are considerably less flattering, and I’ll keep them to myself.
Despite my rocky start, Trust No One turned out to be a deliciously tangled, action-packed family thriller full of secrets, suspicious motives, and characters you probably shouldn’t trust with your houseplants, let alone your life.
It tested my patience, but it was absolutely worth finishing. I’ll definitely be picking up more books by Mary Burton.
Have you read anything by her? And have you ever DNF’d a book only to find yourself obsessing over it until you finally picked it back up?
Because apparently, that’s exactly the kind of toxic relationship I have with my thrillers.
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