Light At The End
One man. Two ruined lives. Claire’s world has completely collapsed, forcing her to abandon everything she knows and go on the run. Meredith’s world looks flawless from the outside—a gorgeous ocean view and a brand-new marriage—but the shadows of the past are catching up fast. Everything was perfect. Until it wasn't.
- Claire/ Bailey - Owner of LuxCity Spa
- Ian/Matthew - Claire’s business partner, best friend
- Derek - Tattoo artist
- Meredith - Ian/Matthew’s wife
- Claire: Claire partnered with Ian to open LuxCity Spa.
- Before the spa opened, Ian booked clients six months in advance, took their money, wrote a bad $45,000 check and framed Claire by forging her signature on documents.
- Claire jumps bail and goes on the run.
- After a few weeks on the run, she gets a fake ID from Derek.
- Claire works as a farm hand in Virginia for six months and keeps in touch with Derek.
- One day, Claire sees police show up at her workplace. She runs and calls Derek for help.
- Meredith: Meredith finds a picture of her husband Matthew and Claire.
- She wonders if Claire is the reason Matthew has been acting distant lately.
- Meredith thinks Matthew is cheating on her, but he denies it.
- Meredith goes into Matthew’s office and finds documents in a security box that prove he cheated and framed Claire.
- Claire has been hiding out in Derek’s apartment for some time when she sees a news article saying Ian’s body was found along with a briefcase containing documents that clear her of all charges.
- Derek takes Claire on a date, and she decides to stay in Virginia with him instead of returning home.
I went into Light At The End by A.V. Donaldson expecting a fast, exciting read. Unfortunately, the execution just did not live up to that initial thought.
Almost immediately the story became quite boring. A big part of the problem was the characterization - even for a short story, the two main characters, Claire and Meredith, had absolutely no personality or depth. Because it was so hard to care about them, the narrative struggled to hold my attention, and the suspense never reached a level that kept me engaged. The ending also missed the mark for me but I can’t say why without including spoilers. Overall, it is a so-so short read that starts with a great idea but struggles with the delivery.
- Death
- Infidelity
ASIN: B0GX35TZCH
Publication Date: June 1, 2026
Note: Details are for the original edition. Other formats, editions, and audiobook versions may be available.
