Library's review
Now it's 25 years later,
I'm always drawn to Gudenkauf's novels because they have interesting premises and they are set in my part of Iowa, in towns that are somewhat disguised but recognizable to me. And I always come away disappointed with vaguely drawn characters, some ridiculous plot points, and a general sloppiness that I'm more inclined to blame on her editor than on her, to be honest. Whenever an author writes in one paragraph that her character had reached through a picket fence and undone the latch to enter a backyard, then inexplicably two paragraphs later writes the character as looking into the backyard through the fence from the outside, an editor has not earned their wings. And the first-person narration shifts from present to past tense within the same sentence, then back again. Pick a lane, people!
For all of that, this is not a bad book. I never felt tempted to Pearl-rule it, and I don't regret reading it. Indeed, someone less neurotic about grammar may well enjoy this book. I myself have often overlooked inconsistencies when a book is otherwise engaging. There's a reason I read so many of Martha Grimes' Inspector Jury mysteries: Grimes created memorably quirky characters and had a gift for scenic description that made me feel I was right there. Who was I to quibble if I finished the book unsure exactly why the Who had Dun It? Alas, Ms. Gudenkauf has many of the faults and few of the assets of Ms. Grimes.
I have decided I'm no longer going to fall for the "but it's Iowa" urge and let this author go. Of course, I said that the last time, too ...
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Fiction. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:Gudenkauf proves herself the master of the smart, suspenseful small-town thriller that gets right under your skin." �??Gilly Macmillan, New York Times bestselling author of The Nanny Everyone has a secret they'll do anything to hide... Twenty-five years ago, the body of sixteen-year-old Eve Knox was found in the caves near her home in small-town Grotto, Iowa�??discovered by her best friend, Maggie, and her sister, Nola. There were a handful of suspects, including her boyfriend, Nick, but without sufficient evidence the case ultimately went cold. For decades Maggie was haunted by Eve's death and that horrible night. Now a detective in Grotto, and seven months pregnant, she is thrust back into the past when a new piece of evidence surfaces and the case is reopened. As Maggie investigates and reexamines the clues, secrets about what really happened begin to emerge. But someone in town knows more than they're letting on, and they'll stop at nothing to keep the truth buried deep. And don't miss Heather's latest book, AN OVERNIGHT GUEST! You'll be chilled and riveted from start to finish with this story of an unexpected visitor and a deadly snowstorm! Check out these other riveting novels of suspense by bestselling author Heather Gudenkauf: The Weight of Silence These Things Hidden One Breath Away Little Mercies Missing Pieces Not a Sound Before She Was… (more)