Title: The Anatomy of Desire: A Novel
Author: L.R. Dorn
Release Date: May 11th 2021
Genre: Thrillers, LGBTQ+
A Publishers Weekly Best Mystery/Thriller of 2021
For fans of riveting true crime docuseries a la Serial and Making a Murderer, The Anatomy of Desire is a modern tale of crime and punishment exploring unbridled ambition, blinding passion, and the dark side of desire
Ambition. Passion. Betrayal. Murder?
Claire Griffith has it all, a thriving career, a gorgeous boyfriend, glamorous friends. She always knew she was destined for more than the life her conservative parents preached to her. Arriving in Los Angeles flat broke, she has risen to become a popular fitness coach and social media influencer. Having rebranded herself as Cleo Ray, she stands at the threshold of realizing her biggest dreams.
One summer day, Cleo and a woman named Beck Alden set off in a canoe on a serene mountain lake. An hour later, Beck is found dead in the water and Cleo is missing. Authorities suspect foul play, and news of Cleo’s involvement goes viral. Who was Beck? An infatuated follower? Were she and Cleo friends or lovers? Was Beck’s death an accident . . . or murder?
Told in the form of an immersive investigative docuseries, L. R. Dorn’s brilliant reimagining of Theodore Dreiser’s classic crime drama, An American Tragedy, captures the urgency and poignance of the original and rekindles it as a very contemporary and utterly mesmerizing page-turner that will keep you guessing… Did she or didn’t she?
This story seemed to check most of my boxes. Murder, check. Dark side, check. Let’s get started. Right away I noticed how the book would be told. Documentary style, which took some getting used to. Two people go out in a canoe and only one comes back, alive. The story was interesting even though it had a lot of lull scenes. Despite that, it kept me reading more. Cleo Ray wasn’t a likable character to me. In fact, I thought she was horrible. We keep bouncing between did she really do it to who could have done it? As the story progressed, I found myself getting bored. I reached a point where I didn’t care who had done. The ending fell flat. There wasn’t any surprise or wow factor and I was disappointed.
The story is an okay read. I expected more and it’s most likely my fault for being disappointed. I recommend checking out this book for yourself. It may be the read for you! I give this two stars.
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion*
The Literary Vixen 