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Thursday, February 16, 2017

Another serendipitous find from the M shelf...

Title:  Arrowood
Author:   Laura McHugh

Then:  "My little sisters were neither alive nor dead, hovering somewhere in between, in the hazy purgatory of the missing. I had been the sole witness to their kidnapping when I was eight years old, and I had spent my childhood wondering  if the man who took them might come back for me. He was never arrested, and no bodies were ever found."

Now:  Leaving her master's thesis unfinished, Arden Arrowood returns to her family's ancestral home, Arrowood, in Keokuk, Iowa, to the very house from which her twin sisters disappeared seventeen years ago. The house itself feels the same, and Ben Ferris, her first love, still lives nearby, but so many other things have changed. Even her memories of that fateful September afternoon when Violet and Tabitha went missing don't feel so reliable any more. And when Josh Kyle shows up investigating the mystery of her sisters' disappearance for a book he's writing, Arden can't help wondering where the truth actually lies. Only not everyone in Keokuk wants her digging up those long-buried secrets from the past.

My thoughts:  What a great read! I loved McHugh's words and imagery, and the way she builds such quiet suspense all the way through to the end of the book. And her characters are very well-written:  Ben and Josh are likeable, Heaney, the care-taker, is a little creepy, Arden's mother is so passive and superficial it made me want to slap her, and Arden herself, who hasn't been able to move forward or find her own happiness because of what happened to her sisters and her own sense of guilt over it, felt very authentic and real. I liked her a lot. I would definitely recommend this mystery to anyone who enjoys a good story.

Happy Reading!

12 comments:

  1. I haven't read anything by McHugh's, but I love the Gothic sound of this one!

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    1. This was the first book by McHugh that I've read, but I don't think it'll be my last. I like the way she tells a story.

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  2. I am so glad to hear you enjoyed this one, Lark. I have been wanting to read it, but haven't had a chance yet. It sounds really good.

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    1. I really enjoyed seeing how this story played out. It definitely makes me want to try another book by McHugh. :)

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  3. Dang! Another book I want to read now! I'll never read everything I want! Sigh!

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    1. :D Ha! I hear you! I read one book from my list and add ten more. (Some from your blog!)

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  4. This sounds good and I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it. Another book onto my wishlist! :)

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    1. That evergrowing bookish wishlist! I have one, too. :)

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  5. Oooh, this sounds good! I hadn't heard of it before, but now I must read it. Thanks for the rec!

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  6. Sounds like a good story. I like a good suspense story from time to time. Good review.

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    1. It's a very character-driven story, which made it even better. :]

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