Both suspenseful and deeply moving, Carolina Moonset is an engrossing novel about family, memories both golden and terrible, and secrets too dangerous to stay hidden forever, from New York Times bestselling and Emmy Award-winning author, Matt Goldman.

Joey Green has returned to Beaufort, South Carolina, with its palmettos and shrimp boats, to look after his ailing father, who is succumbing to dementia, while his overstressed mother takes a break. Marshall Green’s short-term memory has all but evaporated, but, as if in compensation, his oldest memories are more vivid than ever. His mind keeps slipping backwards in time, retreating into long-ago yesterdays of growing up in Beaufort as a boy.

At first this seems like a blessing of sorts, with the past providing a refuge from a shrinking future, but Joey grows increasingly anxious as his father’s hallucinatory arguments with figures from his youth begin to hint at deadly secrets, scandals, and suspicions long buried and forgotten. Resurfacing from decades past are mysteries that still have the power to shatter lives—and change everything Joey thought he knew.

Especially when a new murder brings the police to his door…

Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan-Tor, and Forge Books for letting me read this book prior to its publication. My opinion is 100% honest, unbiased, and my own.

This was a very intriguing book, even though at the beginning it was a bit slow. Then the pace started to pick up and I felt more engrossed between the pages, which was a good thing because I was considering to just stop reading. I’m glad I didn’t, although I continued to find little “problems” along the way.

The story is interesting although a bit sad. The inclusion of a character with dementia was done in a tasteful way and made me feel sorry for the people involved in that situation. It’s a story that can make the reader feel connected to, since it’s not uncommon for any of us to have to deal at a certain time with ageing parents who may suffer some sort of condition. So, close and relatable. The characters were likeable for the most part, although I had trouble to like Joey too much once certain things started to unravel. I cannot say much without revealing spoilers, sorry.

I found more interesting what had happened in the past, revealed little by little by Joey’s father’s hallucinations than the actual murder that happened in the present time. As I said, it was interesting to discover everything that had happened in the past, and how sometimes we don’t know much about our own family history. And then the connections between the past and the present started being clear and we get to the surprising ending. An ending that felt a bit rushed and not very convincing, despite the surprise.

But, all in all, it was an enjoyable read. I recommend it for a nice weekend, curled up on the sofa with a nice cup of tea.

So, for all of that, I give this book… 4 TEA CUPS!