“The Space Between” by Dete Meserve

Title: The Space Between
Author: Dete Meserve
Publisher:  Lake Union
Year: 2018
Genre(s): mystery, romance
Part of a Series: No

Rating: 

Why I read it: Once Upon a Book Club selection

Summary: After presenting the biggest discovery of her career to NASA, Sarah returns to find that her husband Ben is missing. The authorities search for him but also suspect him of a murder which may be why he is missing. Sarah has to sort through the jumble of evidence left behind to determine what happened to her husband, if he is innocent – and if their marriage can be saved.

Review: So far, I think this is my favorite book of 2023.

The story drew me in from the beginning. Some stories need to slow down and focus on exposition before really jumping into the action but this was a case where the action needed to happen immediately. Unraveling the mystery required us to slowly learn more about Sarah, Ben and their relationship. So I like how and where in the story it started.

I do wish we had gotten more flashbacks to show the dynamic between Sarah and Ben to really illustrate why Sarah thought they were “broken’ before the story started. It felt a little more like we were told rather than shown but it didn’t really detract from the story or romance overall.

I like the way Meserve builds the mystery. At first, everything seems normal except for the fact that Ben hasn’t come home. Then Sarah realizes things are out of place and not normal, giving her more clues to what happened. it feels natural and more realistic – clues and facts are going to be revealed slowly, especially when there are players who benefit more from withholding the truth than telling it. We piece together the mystery along with Sarah and it really draws the reader in. And I would say it was done much better than The Woman in the Window.

Meserve also built the romance between Sarah and Ben the same way as well. We learned more about them and even though Sarah feels drawn to someone else, the readers can tell that she is meant to be with Ben. It is a beautiful romance about a marriage that can be saved – it just needs a chance.

And I loved rooting for them to get that chance.

Bottom line: A good romance wrapped around a great mystery.

Sex: Some mentions but nothing too graphic

Moonlight Musing

If someone you loved went missing, what would you do to find them?