"She strikes quickly, without thinking. The cold metal rips through fabric and skin easily. She thought it would be harder, take more effort. The girl looks at her in confusion, presses her fingers to her abdomen and pulls them away. The girl looks surprised to find them wet with blood."
With Christmas rushing at us, is there anyone you're scrambling to find a gift for? If that person is a chiller affecianado I have your problem solved. Heather Gudenkauf's Before She Was Found is the rare adult mystery as good as YA offerings. It strikes a balance between cozy mystery (whatever that is) and grim and gruesome. The chiller element comes from the human psyche rather than the literary equivalent of special effects. Hey, if you want a fun holiday reading experience buy two copies and gift one to yourself.
The central characters are three twelve-year-old girls in a small rural town. Violet is a shy child who does a lot of living in her head. She, her older brother, Max, and their mother have just moved to Pitch. Cora is a socially awkward kid with a popular, gorgeous older sister, Kendall, and a mom who pushes her to be more of a joiner. Jordyn is the mean girl who bullies Cora. When she was four her father dropped her off with her grandparents and never came back to get her.
The girls are having a sleepover at Cora's house. Around midnight they walk to an abandoned train depot. Later a woman walking her dog discovers Cora badly mutilated but still alive. As an ambulance rushes in Violet is discovered, physically unharmed but in a state of shock.
Who would hurt two little girls? That's what the police are seeking to learn. But this isn't going to be an easy assignment. The only people who can tell what happened are the injured children. At least one adult is desperate enough to destroy evidence that might implicate a loved one. One of the suspects is considered to be an urban legend who if alive would be ninety.
I started the book this morning, kinda forgot zoom church, and didn't get distracted by anything until I finished the last page. It's that engaging.
So if you have a chiller lover on your gift list or want to treat yourself to a great read Before She Was Found is a most excellent choice.
On a purrrsonal note, it has been snowing all weekend. Eugene has pulled two night shifts plowing. I asked him when the storm will end. He said "July". He's kidding. Right? (Jules)
All the white stuff keeps coming down. Sure hope it doesn't keep Santa away. (Tobago who has been very good all year)
A great big shout out goes out to all the blizzard battles like Eugene.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway
Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone
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