Where They Found Her by Kimberly McCreight is an adult fictional thriller that takes place in a small well-to-do New Jersey town. In a small town, everyone has an opinion and it can be difficult to hide when all you want to do is blend into the shadows. New to town, freelance journalist, Molly Anderson is trying to begin anew and forget the tragedies of her past. But these tragedies are once again forced into the light when she is assigned a story that starts with a dead baby.
But there is more to this story then meets the eyes and things take surprising turns as past and present collide. Told from the perspective of three very different women this book unwinds a twisting tangled web of hidden truths. Will this small town survive when everyone is forced to look beneath the surface?
This is another book for my book club, so again not my usual go to genre. This actually wasn’t a bad read. One of the really great things about Where They Found Her was that it really did keep you guessing. Every chapter you thought you knew what was what and whodunit and then something would happen and you’d find you weren’t really sure anymore. By the end I knew _________ was part of things somehow but I was actually pretty surprised at the final reveal.
My favorite character in this book is probably Sandy. She is a teenager trying to build herself up even though all the odds are against her. She is a tough, straight shooter and yet she has these moments of fragility that are very human and relatable. I also think she comes out the most changed, in a positive way, after all is said and done.
Another thing I thought this book did well was it’s narrative. The story wasn’t quite linear in it’s telling–it would go backward and forward in time but it a way that felt natural. Jenna’s diary was a really great way to look into the past without getting too much or too little. It was actually really neat to get to know Jenna as a teenager when she is literally missing in the present.
I did think the end wrapped up a little quickly, given that the rest of the story only took place over a matter of days. There were also quite a few, uhh really, moment and a few loose ends I would have liked to seen cleaned up.
This one gets 3.5 stars from me.
That’s all for now!
-M-