Where They Found Her by Kimberly McCreight

Disclaimer: I did receive an ARC of this novel (as part of HarperCollins Canada's newly relaunched HCC First Look program) in exchange for a review, but that has not altered my opinion at all.

Synopsis:
At the end of a long winter in well-to-do Ridgedale, New Jersey, the body of an infant is discovered in the woods near the town's prestigious university campus. No one knows who the baby is, or how her body ended up out there. But there is no shortage of opinions.

When freelance journalist, and recent Ridgedale transplant, Molly Anderson is unexpectedly called upon to cover the story for the Ridgedale Reader, it's a risk, given the severe depression that followed the loss of her own baby. But the bigger threat comes when Molly unearths some of Ridgedale's darkest secrets, including a string of unreported sexual assaults going back twenty years. Meanwhile, Sandy, a high school dropout, searches for her volatile and now missing mother, and PTA president Barbara struggles to help her young son, who's suddenly having disturbing outbursts.

Told from the perspectives of Molly, Barbara, and Sandy, Kimberly McCreight's taut and profoundly moving novel unwinds the tangled truth about the baby's death, revealing that these three women have far more in common than they realized. That the very worst crimes are committed against those we love. And that—sooner or later—the past catches up to all of us.

My thoughts:
I've said it before, but I love thrillers, especially those that are a little psychological and play with your mind. If you've read Kimberly McCreight's massively popular Reconstructing Amelia than you're familiar with how fantastic McCreight's writing is. She is able to weave a fascinatingly creepy story about a small, wealthy town and the secrets surrounding it. This book had me up beyond my bedtime.

Where They Found Her kept me guessing. I hate 'thriller's that are easy to figure out. That was not a problem with this book at all. Everyone is a suspect, and everyone has some sort of motive. While this book was creepy, it was also sad. Molly is still struggling with the loss of her own infant daughter, Sandy can't find her mother and assumes the worst, and Barbara is trying to cope with her son who everyone thinks is becoming crazy. I liked this aspect of the book, though, because it's far from that notion of the idyllic college town. It's real life, and real life is scary.

The pacing was excellent. It gripped me right away and kept me interested the whole time, without any major lack. The characters were creepy because they were both relatable and different. You can probably find yourself in one of the characters, and that always makes a thriller seem more real and scary. Like I said, real life is scary.

I rated this a 4 out of 5 because I did have a very slight issue with the ending. I won't say what it is because it's a spoiler, but I just felt like the resolution to one issue was inconsistent with the characters previous actions, and it made me sad for that character.

Where They Found Her is on sale today, and is definitely the perfect book to curl up on the couch with during a rainy April.

Book Review: The Never List by Koethi Zan

I have a weird fascination with stories that are a little disturbing or creepy. A thriller with a vicious killer? A story about missing people and murders galore? Count me in & see you when I'm finished! I'd like to think there's some intellectual reason for this, but I don't think there is. I just like a good messed up story, which is why I liked 'The Never List' by Koethi Zan so much.

For years, Jennifer and Sarah have kept what they call the Never List. A list of things to absolutely avoid in order to stay as safe as possible On their list? Do not get into a car with a stranger. Believing they can trust the car service they order in college, they break their own rules. While the list may be a bit extreme, that is one rule that should not be broken. The girls are kidnapped and held hostage in a cellar for more than three years by a sadistic man with his own agenda. Jennifer does not make it out of the cellar, and after her release, Sarah spends the next ten years once again avoiding the world as best she can. A letter from her captor forces her to break her own rules again, and reunites her with her fellow captives. Like the first time she broke her own rules and found herself in trouble, Sarah once again finds herself in less than desirable situations.

The book is fast-paced with twists and turns, and explores things like BDSM, crazy cults, and a scary torture device called the 'rack' (Google it if you want to have nightmares). I read this book in two sittings, but could have easily done it in one if, you know, I didn't have to work. Though, the break was probably good for my overactive imagination!

With most psychological thrillers, there's a big twist/reveal at the end. I won't say what it is, but I did have my suspicions about it throughout most of the book. The book is so well-written that you're never really sure if that's what's' going to happen, though. I like to be kept guessing the whole time. I hate reading obvious books with cookie cutter plots. This is not one of those books at all.

I rated this 4 out of 5 stars because I did have a slight issue with the ending. I liked the way it ended, but after the twist, it just seemed like things wrapped up too quickly. I wanted more closure, and more details about what happened AFTER. I feel like Zan could write another book if certain things played out in a specific way.

I would definitely recommend this for people who like books that play with your mind. What is most creepy about it is that this does happen. People are kidnapped and held captive every single day. This is the perfect book to read on one of the long winter nights we're having lately. Be prepared to think about this book, and probably dream about it, for days after finishing it.