The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins is a solid but depressing, slow-burning mystery. No one comes out of this mystery unscathed. The running theme is that poor people merely play in a rich person’s world or game. You can not escape it. The novel features two characters who have experienced a similar dynamic of being poor and rich. The story does a good job of comparing them. This continues until the end. Then one character starts breaking the bond that the other person lives by. Hawkins writes a great unreliable narrator, but I also feel that too much was given away. When the turn came in the story, I was not surprised about who did it. I was, however, surprised by how it went down. There are a few mysteries throughout the novel. The most compelling involves a recluse artist who died of cancer. This artist made a sculpture out of bone, which we believe to be a deer’s rib cage. But an anthropologist visits the museum and says you have it wrong, that is the rib cage of a human. The story has a lot of layers to it. The story is told from three perspectives, which Hawkins does well. We get the perspective of Vanessa, the artist, through diary entries. In the present, we meet Grace. She is Vanessa’s friend and former caretaker. We also meet Becker. He is an art curator and lifelong fan of Vanessa’s work. The Blue Hour was published on October 29, 2024.

Plot Summary: Vanessa Chapman is a recluse artist who lives on an island called Eris. It wasn’t an island, but you could only leave when the tide was down. Vanessa would often paint the island and the landscape. She also made a sculpture out of bone. We believe it to be a deer’s rib cage. But an anthropologist recently visited the museum. They examined the piece and claim you have it wrong. It is a rib cage of a human. Vanessa’s husband had gone missing 2 years before the piece was displayed. So the public wants to know, is it the husband? The Fairburns, who own the art, need to know. Vanessa, who died from cancer years ago, left the island to her caretaker, Grace. Grace still has papers and possibly missing art on the island, but has not been very forthcoming with it. Becker is a young fan of Vanessa and a curator. They send him to dig through papers at the estate. The estate is run by Grace, the former nurse. She was a friend first. Then, she played a role in making Vanessa comfortable before her death. Grace is very standoffish. She doesn’t know if she can trust Becker. But she notices how the rich Fairburns treat him. Maybe she can let him in on the secrets she holds.

What I Liked: The ending was great, even if I saw most of it coming. But the ending went further than I thought, and I loved that. I liked that the book got me to appreciate Vanessa’s art through Grace and Becker. I didn’t think the book was going to get there. Vanessa is mostly a landscape artist. Still, it was the other paintings and some of the hidden ones that did it for me. The layers of storytelling and how everything was intertwined were impressive. The observation of how the rich manipulate the poor was good. I like how Becker and Grace complemented each other. They were both part of the wealthy society. Yet, each felt like an outsider. Grace was pretty fascinating as a character; there were a lot of layers to her.

What I Disliked: The Becker and Helena love story. It had a purpose to the story, but I wanted more from Helena on why she chose Becker over Sebastian. The rib discovery of what human it belonged to was interesting, but in a book with so many layers. I wanted to have more connection before the reveal. Becker is a little too boring. The novel could have done with a follow-up chapter wrapping everything up.

Recommendation: I liked The Blue Hour. I have read all of Paula Hawkins’ novels since her excellent debut with The Girl on the Train. The Blue Hour is my second favorite novel of hers. My biggest complaint about Hawkins’ writing from her last two books has been too many perspectives. The Blue Hour keeps it to three, which Hawkins knows how to write very well. She writes another great unreliable narrator in Grace. The Blue Hour hooked me from the beginning and kept me interested throughout. I recommend my followers check out The Blue Hour for good suspense and a good ending.

Rating: The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins, I rated 3.9 out of 5.

Ranking: I have read all 4 of Paula Hawkins’ published books. I will rank them from favorite to least favorite: 1) The Girl on the Train, 2) The Blue Hour, 3) A Slow Fire Burning, and 4) Into the Water.