I found this large-print edition hardcover on the book-swap shelf in the Tyngsboro MA post office lobby, and nabbed it for another release copy.

I enjoyed the book very much, from the multiple-viewpoint/asynchronous-time-stream format to the gradually-unfolding secrets in the lives and relationships of the main characters. (I did work out whodunnit somewhat before the book's characters did, but then I didn't have their distractions {wry grin}.)

I didn't like Rachel much in the early chapters - it's hard to sympathize with someone who seems to be going out of her way to cause trouble for herself and others, even though it was clear there must be a reason for her behavior - but I did find it fascinating to see the world through her eyes, and I thought the author did a good job of putting the reader into her very uncomfortable shoes. And Megan, who clearly had her own issues, was also rather difficult to like - possibly even more so than Rachel. By the time Anna's viewpoint chimed in, it was almost refreshing to hear from someone who seemed so happy... so of course the revelations in her part of the story were even more distressing than for the other two.

I was somewhat amused to see the psychiatrist's influence in the story; all too often, suspense stories use the trope There Are No Therapists (or at least no effective ones) to ensure that the troubled individuals cause lots of drama instead of getting help. Here, we see how therapy might be very helpful indeed - and yet the drama ensues anyway (therapists aren't perfect, eh?).

There were lots of little things that added to the story, from the way the houses along the street were identical in layout to the treatment of laptops and cell phones as tools, as weapons, and as clues. There were scenes that made me wish Alfred Hitchcock was still around; what a movie he could make of this!

In some ways I admit that I found the writing a bit forced; while Rachel's compulsions and emotional problems might excuse some of the decisions she made, others were so far out there that the author's puppet-strings seemed visible. But I'm generally willing to forgive a little manipulation when the characters and story are pulling me along, and I did enjoy this story.

[There's a TV Tropes page on the book, and on its 2016 film adaptation (which I didn't care for, fwiw), with some entertaining tidbits.]

Guidelines for safely visiting and stocking Little Free Libraries during the COVID-19 pandemic, from the LFL site here.

I left this book in this new-to-me Little Free Library on this bright, cool day; hope someone enjoys it!

[See other recent releases in NH here.]

*** Released for the 2021 4 Elements challenge, for the embedded "rain" in the title. ***

*** Released for the 2021 Movie challenge. ***