This is a thriller that creeps up on you before you know it. It's got atmosphere, a camaraderie of amoral characters, some pretty good descriptions of a Vermont setting and reckless fun and games that end in more than tears. The premise is very simple though a little outlandish. However, Tartt does a good job weaving a spell that traps the reader just as the main character is trapped. Not for those who like their gore heavy handed but for those who like a room full of shadows and their mysteries dark around the edges. It is a bit long, though--it feels like the author could go on and on and on, and she sometimes does, but I recommend this book as summer page turner and suspenseful psychological thriller. It's also creepy how Tartt gets the reader to go along with a story this bizarre. And yet. And yet.