Book Review — Within These Walls by Ania Ahlborn

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When I have issues with a book, there tends to be a couple of different reasons why I failed to connect. Sometimes, it is the fault of the story or choices made by the author, but sometimes it is because I went in with different expectations. The latter is what happened with Within These Walls.

I thought I was going to get caught up in a cat and mouse between true crime writer Lucas Graham, and Manson-like cult leader Jeffrey Halcomb. That never materialized, though, and it took me out of the story rather quickly.

This is not to suggest that it was all my fault, as there were still parts of the story that didn’t work for me. The book felt overly long and repetitive at times, plus the characters were more than a little frustrating in their choices and inner dialogs.

On the plus side, there were elements that definitely worked, such as the time hopping between the present day and the time when the cult was at its peak. The addition of police reports, ghost investigation reports, etc. did feel unnecessary at times and felt a bit like filler.

In the notes at the end of the book, the author stated that this was her longest work to date, and while her ambition is to be applauded, I think that stepping out of her sweet spot might have been an issue. I have enjoyed previous books by Ahlborn, and this experience will not prevent me reading more of her work.

3 Stars out of 5