
Title:
Saint XAuthor:
Alexis Schaitkin Published by Celadon BooksDate Published: 18 February, 2020
Pages: 352
Genres: Psychological Thriller Format: ARC Source: Publisher Purchase:
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Claire is only seven years old when her college-age sister, Alison, disappears on the last night of their family vacation at a resort on the Caribbean island of Saint X. Several days later, Alison’s body is found in a remote spot on a nearby cay, and two local men–employees at the resort–are arrested. But the evidence is slim, the timeline against it, and the men are soon released. The story turns into national tabloid news, a lurid mystery that will go unsolved. For Claire and her parents, there is only the return home to broken lives.
Years later, Claire is living and working in New York City when a brief but fateful encounter brings her together with Clive Richardson, one of the men originally suspected of murdering her sister. It is a moment that sets Claire on an obsessive pursuit of the truth–not only to find out what happened the night of Alison’s death but also to answer the elusive question: Who exactly was her sister? At seven, Claire had been barely old enough to know her: a beautiful, changeable, provocative girl of eighteen at a turbulent moment of identity formation.
As Claire doggedly shadows Clive, hoping to gain his trust, waiting for the slip that will reveal the truth, an unlikely attachment develops between them, two people whose lives were forever marked by the same tragedy.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the Author/Publisher and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.
My Thoughts
Holy wow! I love an amazing, gripping, don’t-know-what-to-expect psychological thriller. Alexis Schaitkin’s debut novel Saint X is all of that and so much more! Her writing style is unique and I loved every second of this novel!
What would you do if you went on a seemingly harmless family vacation to an island, only to wake up one day and one of your family members is gone, and the people suspected of their disappearance are found innocent? That’s the premise behind this novel and each character is perfect for their roles, perfectly chiseled with flaws. The plot line is well developed and totally had me reading late into the night.
If you are looking for a novel that will twist you up as you follow the story, one that will leave you guessing at every turn, making you want more of fantastic stories like it, then look no further. It’s an author that I will be adding to my must reads list, and a debut book that I will be recommending to others with 4 stars and two thumbs! Well done!
About Alexis Schaitkin

Alexis Schaitkin’s debut novel, Saint X, is forthcoming from Celadon Books on February 18th, 2020, with seven foreign language editions to follow. Her short stories and essays have appeared in Ecotone, Southwest Review, The Southern Review, The New York Times, and elsewhere. Her fiction has been anthologized in The Best American Short Stories and The Best American Nonrequired Reading. She received her MFA in fiction from the University of Virginia, where she was a Henry Hoyns Fellow. She lives in Williamstown, Massachusetts, with her husband and son.
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I enjoyed this book too. Your review was spot on!