This recent release was the August pick for the Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club and they hosted a great author chat with Peng Shepherd at the end of the month.

After Nell’s father is found dead in his office at the New York Public Library, Nell discovers he has hidden an old map in a hiding place only she would know about. Nell believes this map to be of little value but soon realizes the exact opposite is true and a shadowy collector has been hunting down every known copy of this map and destroying them. Nell is determined to get to the bottom of this mystery but her journey to find answers will reveal her family’s darkest secrets.

There were some aspects of this book I really enjoyed but unfortunately, there were too many I didn’t. I did enjoy the middle section of the book that makes up the biggest part of Nell’s search for answers. I liked the way the author introduced other characters and let them tell the story from their perspective. However, as someone who is not a big mystery reader, I was disappointed that I was able to guess some of the twists or at least get close to them. And I’m not the type of reader who actively tries to solve the mystery as I read either. I also thought the ending was disappointing. There were a few plot holes and decisions that some of the characters made that just didn’t feel believable. It’s too bad because the premise of this book is so interesting!