As always, even a flawed Moriarty book is still pretty damn good. This one, like every one I’ve read this far, was enjoyable and a brisk read, in part due to Moriarty’s skill with plotting and perspective – she really excels in showing her characters from all sides, letting us get to know and like one person while seeing how another equally likable person could detest them. But Nine Perfect Strangers should perhaps have been Six Perfect Strangers instead; this book butts right up against Too Much ™.
We meet our protagonists at a wellness resort run by Masha, a former corporate overlord gone crunchy granola after a heart attack and a tragic backstory, where she manipulates the environment to bring out everyone’s best selves. And that’s ONE character.
The fact that Masha’s methods…
SPOILER
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… include dosing its participants unknowingly with LSD means we get the most meta Moriarty thus far, especially as one participant is a writer and breaks the fourth wall. It’s obvious she (Moriarty, that is) identifies with Masha as well, given that she too is a master of misdirection, but the author’s skill with red herrings is best used in small doses, and no fewer than four characters have Big Moments In Their Past That Aren’t What The Reader Is Expecting.
That said, if my biggest complaint is that I felt like the book had too much going on and could’ve been two excellent books instead of one good one, that’s sort of praising with faint damning, right? I enjoyed reading it, even if one flashback included one of my own personal nightmares being a parent of a toddler (one spoiler is enough per review, you’ll know it when you read the book). Definite recommendation, even if I hope the next one is a bit more restrained.