The Big Exit Blog Tour: Review

The Big Exit
Author: David Carnoy
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Release Date: October 11, 2012
Publisher: Overlook Press 

Description:

Carnoy follows his 2010 debut, Knife Music, with a thriller set in California’s Silicon Valley that has it all: a convoluted but convincing plot, a likable protagonist facing terrible odds, and a meaty supporting cast working for and against him.

While Richie Foreman served seven years in prison for vehicular manslaughter, the friend he claims was actually behind the wheel, Mark McGregor, not only achieved success as “a hotshot Internet entrepreneur” but also married Richie’s former fiancée, Beth Hill.

When Beth finds Mark’s bloody body on the floor of the garage of their pricey Menlo Park home, she and Richie become natural suspects in Mark’s murder. Evidence suggests that Richie was at least involved in the killing. While troubled lawyer Carolyn Dupuy represents Beth, and charismatic Marty Lowenstein (aka “the DNA Dude”) defends Richie, local legend Det. Sgt. Hank Madden seeks definitive proof of Richie’s guilt.


Review:

The Big Exit is a thrill-ride of twists and turns that keeps the reader on their toes throughout the entire novel. There are several layers within the plot that weave seamlessly together to create a web of intricate lies, deception, mystery, and even murder. What starts out looking like a horrible crime - a murder of a wealthy Internet businessman - quickly escalates as evidence connects people from the victim's past and a very public trial to the murder. At the heart of the novel is the victim's wife, Beth, who discovers her husband's body and quickly becomes ensnared in the ensuing investigation. Alongside Beth, we have other intriguing main characters: Richie Foreman, Beth's former fiance and the victim's old friend - who just happens to have been involved with them in the earlier homicide of a young woman and served prison time because of it. There is also Hank Madden, an older homicide detective who is determined to find the connection between these two crimes; Carolyn Dupuy, a lawyer who is representing the victim's wife; and Marty "the DNA Dude" Lowenstein, a local pro bono legend, who is representing Richie. All of these people must come together to uncover the truth about who killed Mark McGregor and why. 

The writing was impeccable and had me captivated from the first paragraph. The plot slides effortlessly from past to present and easily entwines the varying perspectives of the characters as well as the different subplots throughout the book. The characters are very realistic and easy to identify with, but they were also written in a way that made the reader sympathize with them all while being suspicious of the truth. The book is a true mystery and had me guessing and second-guessing until the very end. I loved how there were so many different twists and turns and nothing was really how it seemed. There's tons of action and thrills along with real character interaction and incredible mounting tension until the truth explodes from the pages. Overall, I loved this book. It was a tantalizing thriller wrought with mystery and intrigue. I highly recommend it to lovers of puzzling mysteries and thrillers that keep you eagerly flipping the pages.