"...monsters don't hide in the woods; they aren't shadows in the trees or invisible things lurking in darkened corners. No, the real monsters move in plain sight. I was twelve years old when those shadows started to form a shape, a face ... When I began to realize that maybe the monsters lived among us. And there was one monster in particular, I learned to fear above all the rest."
Chloe Davis is a medical psychologist with her own practice. She lives in Baton Rouge and is engaged to Daniel Briggs who seems like the perfect guy. She has one older brother, Cooper, who is very protective of her. And twenty years ago, her father was arrested in connection with six teenage girls who went missing the summer she turned twelve. When he confessed to killing all six, Chloe Davis's entire life changed. She still struggles with what happened in the past. It doesn't help that reporters like Aaron Jansen keep calling her about it. When two local teenage girls go missing in Baton Rouge, it feels eerily reminiscent to those other girls twenty years ago. And Chloe starts to question everything and everyone around her.
My thoughts: I would describe this psychological thriller as intense and twisty. It's also hard to put down; I read it in a weekend. Chloe is guarded and struggles with anxiety, often self-medicating, which means she doesn't always make the best decisions. But I still liked her. I also appreciated the fast pacing of this book and the way Willingham weaves in Chloe's past memories with the present. And I thought the last twist at the end was a good one. Stacy Willingham is an author I would happily try again.
Happy Reading!
