Sometimes you need a fresh start. In The Blinds by Adam Sternbergh, one remote Texas town allows certain criminals to start a new chapter in their lives while losing the memory of what they’ve done that permitted them to move there.
Caesura, Texas, known locally as The Blinds houses a small population of folks, far removed from any other outpost of civilization, with a new name, formulated from movie stars and vice presidents, and the problematic portion of their memories erased. After eight relatively quiet years, a quick succession of deaths occur: a suicide by gunshot and a gunshot-to-the-back-of-the-head murder. Sheriff Calvin Cooper has his work cut out for him to keep the citizens from becoming too riled up, while also obscuring his own secrets. As Cooper tries to keep his role in the escalating situation obscured from his deputy’s probing questions and search for answers, he’s also digging deeper into the truth behind The Blinds in order to save the only woman in town with a child and help them escape a deadly fate.
With an intriguing and unique premise and concept, the narrative unfolds with a moderately slow burn, mirroring the developing tension between townspeople, making for an enjoyable read. While providing information and glimpses behind the scenes at a reasonable pace to maintain some mystery behind the various actions taken, there were moments in the text where the momentum of the narrative dips significantly to offer some character exposition, which felt strange as the characters only have inklings of their pasts and readers are in the memory haze with the characters.
Overall, I’d give it a 4 out of 5 stars.
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