Were you surprised to discover who was responsible for the fire? Do you view what that person did as murder? Was the sentence fair? How about the sentences of the others?

Were you surprised to discover who was responsible for the fire? Do you view what that person did as murder? Was the sentence fair? How about the sentences of the others?

I had guessed that Mary set the fire, but I wasn't sure how all the pieces came together. I had thought for a while that she wanted to get rid of and punish Matt for the way he treated her, but I never thought she really anticipated murder. If she destroyed the "submarine", she wouldn't have to be in contact with him again. And she could try to blame it on the protestors. I don't know enough about the law (even after years of watching Law and Order, haha), but I do believe that Mary was guilty of causing accidental death and disfigurement because of her actions and needed to be punished. But, I think ten years is too long. Many others were culpable in the disastrous chain of events and served no time.

Which brings me to what is happening right now due to Covid-19. There are people protesting about the perceived injustice of staying home, while they are putting the health and lives of others at risk. They should be fined. And jailed if they deliberately "shared" their infection.

I actually was surprised as I would have never guess Mary from the beginning. As the story went on I suspect her and yes, I believe that she should be held responsible. While her intent was not to kill people, her actions did do exactly that. To me she seemed to be a spoiled brat that was used to getting her way and playing her parents off of each other to get what she wanted. Unfortunately she got involved with Matt and that presented another set of problems.

I was surprised that Mary had set the fire. Although it was accidental, as she thought all had gone home, she still was responsible for the death of two people. I think ten years is fair, the description of how Henry died was horrific. This was a well written mystery as I kept going back and forth as to who I thought set the fire. So many of the characters seemed guilty.

I was very surprised that Mary set the fire. Even though she thought the HBOT patients had gone home already, it was still a reckless, horrifying act. However, I don't view her act as murder, rather, as accidental manslaughter. She had intended to destroy the Miracle Submarine, not kill people. A sentence of 10 years seemed fair to me.
Another thing that surprised me: Mary's mother, Young, insisted that her daughter confess and accept her punishment. It seemed fair and at the same time harsh for her mother to insist on her daughter being punished.

Yes, I was very surprised. I really did not suspect Mary. Since she thought the submarine was empty and the occupants had already left, I really think she should have been convicted of manslaughter because murder was not her purpose in setting the fire. If Janine had not accused her of chasing after Matt, when Matt had been the one pursuing Mary, she might not have lit the match to start the fire. If Pak hadn't left the match and the cigarette and the pile of kindling under the oxygen tube - there were many if's in the mix. Ten years in prison for Mary seems fair; Pak's 14 months in jail was okay; Matt's suspended sentence with probation was reasonable. Janine was far from innocent in all this and yet she received no blame - I thought that was a bit on the unreasonable side.

I was surprised to learn that Mary set the fire. And, in my opinion, I agree with the punishment that was handed down to her. Regardless of whether the submachine was empty or not shouldn't matter. She still set the fire. Pak's 14 months in jail was okay with me; Matt's suspended sentence with probation was reasonable. However, I thought Janine was far from innocent in all this and yet she received no blame. I didn't view this as fair.

I was surprised to find out Mary set the fire, but I think her sentence was fair. I see what she did as manslaughter, not murder. She had no intention of harming anyone, and I truly believe that she would not have set the fire if she knew the last dive of the day was running late and people were inside the tank.

I do think every single adult character was partially to blame, and not everyone paid legal consequences but everyone paid some sort of price. Even Janine, who held a lot of the blame in my view, ended up divorced and didn't get pregnant, though I don't think that's enough of a punishment for her.

As with most of the other responses I just read, i was not surprised to find Mary had set the fire. It took the fact that she was assuming there were no patients in the sub for me to believe it, but once it was clear that she thought they had all gone home, it was very believable. It was not intentional murder, but it was murder.

I would have liked to see Matt get punished with more than just probation. He crossed a number of lines, and wasn't punished enough to make me feel like it was fair.

I was very surprised to find out Mary had been responsible for the fire. She had no idea that there were still people in the submarine. She was, however, responsible and needed punishment but her sentence seemed a tad bit long. Pak could have used a slightly longer sentence. Matt could have used a little time based on what he did.

I initially suspected Mary because... it's always the one you least suspect! Haha... But the evidence kept shifting, and it seemed like Young was the only person I *didn't* suspect at one point or the other. It's a sign of a good mystery when you find yourself guessing "whodunnit" right up to the very end!

Yes, I was. it did not occur to me that Mary did it. I think her sentence was fair. She let Elizabeth go to trial. when she knew it was not her.

I found it interesting that while Mary actually started the fire there were a number of people who had a part in it in a way. She was not trying to commit murder in any way. She thought there was no one in the submarine. She just wanted it gone and this would also prevent her from having to see Matt on a regular basis as well. The author handled this all quite well.