I didn't think much of this one at first but it grew on me. The plot was definitely my sort of thing (small town history, dysfunctional families, murder) but the writing style wasn't. At the start especially it seemed like there wasn't much atmosphere to it, and some of the plot points just felt too obvious in the way they were introduced. 

The main character is quite unlikable and there's a definite 'ick' factor to some of the descriptions, but it all fits fairly well with the dynamic of the setting. 

It's messed up enough to be interesting but it took me about half the book to really feel invested in the outcome. I wasn't fully satisfied with the ending; it felt a little clumsy and like there were some bits that didn't quite add up. But as I was reading I had the feeling that I was missing the significance of some of the many little clues, so it would probably stand up well to a re-read.

For all it's faults it had me fairly well gripped by the end.