Paula Hawkins returns with her fourth novel, The Blue Hour.  In this go around, an art museum curator heads to a remote island to retrieve the remains of a collection left to the museum by an artist near and dear to his heart.  He deals with the friend/caretaker/lover? of the artist, who is loath to release any more material than she already has but relents somewhat when she sees he is a true fan.  A discovery in one of her pieces leads to the discovery of multiple murders, with perhaps more to come.

Hawkins hit the scene in 2015 with her smash debut, The Girl on the Train, which was one of many releases at that time to be dubbed “the next Gone Girl.” While I have enjoyed parts of all four of Hawkins’ efforts, there certainly are diminishing returns, as I liked each one less than its predecessor.  This one fell apart at the end, spoiling what had been an exciting tale to that point.  I may have reached the end of my road with her work, but I’ll probably forget my growing apprehension when she puts out her next new book.