Review: Maestra by L.S Hilton

 

A spectacular fraud in a London auction house. 

A barefoot lover running through the Paris streets. 

A colossal theft from a billionaire's yacht. 

A vicious murder under a bridge in Rome. 

They started it. she'll end it. 

WHO IS THE MAESTRA? 




Review
The simple yet deceptive blurb on the back of this novel is what drew me to read it.I had no idea what to expect, and it was nothing like I could ever have imagined.

Maestra comes with the tagline 'The Most Shocking Thriller You'll Read This Year'. I'll admit that I haven't read that many thrillers, but this is  certainly true for me. Maestra is unpredictable, graphic in every sense of the word and left me feeling very uneasy. I couldn't put it down. So I suppose that makes it a success.

Having looked at the reader reviews I'm surprised how many negative ones there are. Yes it's explicit, designed to shock, but Maestra is reflective of the baser aspects of human nature - lust and greed. Although the gratuitous use of the 'c' word did lose its impact after a while. The book has been described as The Talented Mr Ripley crossed with Gone Girl, and whilst I haven't read either of the works, I have seen the film adaptation of the former and can easily see where the comparisons come from. Judith isn't a character you can relate to, which is perhaps why some readers detest her so much. Driven by 'rage' and determination to work her way up in the world she finds herself resorting to increasingly desperate measures, measures which soon become habits. Yet despite her dangerous flaws, her appalling language and her skewed morals you can't help but want her to get away with her actions. I'm very curious to read the sequel.