The story: Twenty years ago, Meg Brogan's older sister, Sherry, was raped and murdered. Meg herself nearly died that same night. When she woke from her coma she couldn't remember what she'd seen or what really happened to Sherry. Now, a successful true crime writer, Meg's returned to Shelter Bay, Oregon, to investigate her sister's murder. But no one in town wants her to rake up the past. And as Meg digs deeper, she begins to realize everyone around her is keeping secrets or telling lies about what happened that night. But she refuses to give up. Even when it puts her own life in danger.
My thoughts: Loreth Anne White knows how to write a compelling and suspenseful mystery. And Meg makes for a memorable character; she's stubborn, and feisty, and a little fragile at times as she struggles to retrieve her own uncertain memories of that awful day. My other two favorite characters were Blake Sutton, Meg's high school sweetheart whom she hasn't seen since she was eighteen, and his young son, Noah. Blake's keeping his own secrets about that day, which only added to the tension between them. The one thing I didn't love was reading all the snippets and excerpts from The Stranger Among Us, the book Meg is writing about her sister. I didn't feel like it added anything to the story. But the rest of the book is really good. So even though this is not my favorite Loreth Anne White novel, I still liked it a lot.
Happy Reading!
Other books by Loreth Anne White that I've read:
Sometimes we can enjoy a book even if it isn't our favorite. :) I often find myself in the same situation. "It's good, but not the best."
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly how I feel about this one: good, but not her best. :)
DeleteI'm definitely gonna have to check out this author sometime because I love the sound of her books. :)
ReplyDeleteI've liked all three of the books that I've read by her, and I know I'll be reading more. :)
DeleteThis sounds like a mostly good read!
ReplyDeleteIt really was. There was just that one part of it that didn't work for me.
DeleteI have got to read this author! I haven't been reading as many thrillers lately but one day.
ReplyDeleteShe's a good author to try. I especially liked In the Barren Ground. :D
DeleteNot my kind of book but it does sound interesting.
ReplyDeleteYou'd probably at least like the romance in it. :)
DeleteThis really sounds like one of those "been there, done that" books that really bug me. Not very original form the sound of it.
ReplyDeleteThat trope of someone returning to their childhood town/home to investigate the truth about a crime that happened when they were young has been done a lot, I agree. At least White makes it interesting with her well-layered characters.
DeleteWriting a book inside a book is a tricky thing and doesn't always work well, I'm afraid. It is too bad that aspect of the novel falls into that category. I am glad though there was enough to still really like this one. I may have to give it a try.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I rarely like the book inside a book. And this was more like her notes for her book. It just didn't work for me. But the rest of it was good.
DeleteDefinitely sounds like suspenseful good read!
ReplyDeleteIt definitely had some suspenseful moments in it! :)
DeleteI love this author's works! I've enjoyed a few of her recent ones so I'll be checking out her backlist as well. :)
ReplyDeleteShe is a really good author. :)
DeleteI remember loving this book so much, but I don't remember the excerpts from the book Meg was working on. Glad to hear you enjoyed the story even though it wasn't your favorite LAW. :)
ReplyDeleteMaybe you skipped the excerpts! I certainly was tempted to do that after the first two because they really don't add anything to the overall story. ;D
DeleteI also often don't like the book within a book in stories. I don't think many authors have the chops to pull it off. But otherwise, it sounds like a solid suspense novel.
ReplyDeleteExcept for that one thing it's a really good read. :) I just like her other two books better.
DeleteSounds good, but a bit too dark for me, especially these days. I'm glad you enjoyed it, though!
ReplyDeleteIt's not actually as dark as it may sound, more like a regular mystery.
DeleteI can't get enough of a good mystery. After reading several non-fiction books to kick off the year, I'm ready to settle into my favorite mystery genre now!
ReplyDeleteYou have been reading a lot of non-fiction! Can't wait to see what mystery you read next. :)
DeleteThanks once again Lark for letting us know about the very fine mystery and suspense novels that are out there. I enjoy mysteries where the protagonist is a mystery or true crime writer herself. Meg has been through some traumatic things in her life and I am eager to find out what happened that night.
ReplyDeleteI really liked Meg as a character, and was definitely rooting for her throughout. :)
DeleteThe fact that there is a book within a book here is interesting. Sometimes I really like that technique. Too bad that it did not work here as it can often yield interesting results.
ReplyDeleteIt can work when done well; I just wish the book within this book had been better written and more interesting. Or not there at all.
DeleteThis sounds good, although I think I probably would have gotten annoyed with the excerpts from the other book too, particularly if it wasn't really adding much to the main story.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's what bugged me the most. I should have just started skipping them. The rest of the book is really good.
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