Title: The Anatomy of Desire by L.R. Dorn
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense
Length: 320 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss
Summary:
For fans of riveting true crime docuseries a la Serial and Making a Murderer, The Anatomy of Desire is a modern tale of crime and punishment exploring unbridled ambition, blinding passion, and the dark side of desire
Claire Griffith has it all, a thriving career, a gorgeous boyfriend, glamorous friends. She always knew she was destined for more than the life her conservative parents preached to her. Arriving in Los Angeles flat broke, she has risen to become a popular fitness coach and social media influencer. Having rebranded herself as Cleo Ray, she stands at the threshold of realizing her biggest dreams.
One summer day, Cleo and a woman named Beck Alden set off in a canoe on a serene mountain lake. An hour later, Beck is found dead in the water and Cleo is missing. Authorities suspect foul play, and news of Cleo’s involvement goes viral. Who was Beck? An infatuated follower? Were she and Cleo friends or lovers? Was Beck’s death an accident . . . or murder?
Told in the form of an immersive investigative docuseries, L. R. Dorn’s brilliant reimagining of Theodore Dreiser’s classic crime drama, An American Tragedy, captures the urgency and poignance of the original and rekindles it as a very contemporary and utterly mesmerizing page-turner.
Review:
The Anatomy of Desire by L.R. Dorn is a suspense-laden novel with an innovative premise.
Claire Griffith reinvented herself as Cleo Ray after fleeing from her devout missionary parents when she was a teenager. She is a rising lifestyle/fitness social influencer whose star is on the rise when she is arrested for murder. Cleo is accused of murdering Rebecca “Beck” Alden. She and Beck have been in a relationship for over a year and their outing on Serene Lake culminates with Beck’s death. Cleo is also intimately involved with influencer Sandy Finch. While Beck knows about Sandy, he is completely unaware that Cleo is in a relationship with Beck. Nevertheless, Sandy remains supportive of Cleo throughout the trial.
Thanks to her wealthy uncle, Samson Griffith, Cleo has a top notch defense. Well-known defense attorney Alana Belknap. She, along with local defense attorney Reuben Jephson, insist on total honesty from their client. Cleo appears to be completely truthful about her relationship with Beck, but is she holding back any details? Most importantly, can Alana and Reuben neutralize the damaging information that is unearthed during the investigation?
The Anatomy of Desire is a captivating novel that is written as a docuseries. The chapters are a mix of interviews, public statements, trial footage and direct discussions with Cleo by documentarian Duncan McMillan. This narrative style is very effective and builds suspense as the novel hurtles to the conclusion of the trial. The various characters are well-developed and spring vibrantly to life. The storyline is clever and quite interesting. With unanticipated twists and unexpected turns, L.R. Dorn brings this engaging novel to a very shocking conclusion.
