Finding Eva by J.A. Baker

 "Some things are best left tucked away in the recesses of your brain; kept as unremembered images which only wreak havoc if toyed with and set free."

This is psychopathy at its worst -- or best -- depending on your predilections for genre fiction. I have never 'met' such a cast of dysfunctional characters in a very long time and my head is reeling after the revelations and the conclusion of this psychological thriller. I don't usually care for books where all the "action" is in the psyche of the characters in a stream of consciousness, but I stuck with it and raced to the end as I was filled with a sense of dread as to what the outcome would be given the beginning chapter.

I knew that there were dead bodies, just didn't know WHO they were as I began reading. Eva Tweedie has gone to Whitby to finally confront the parents who gave her into care when she was a child. She has questions, wants answers, and won't back down this time. She's fresh off a breakup with her boyfriend, Gareth, and it seems that she has told him something that makes reconciliation impossible. In addition, her best friend from the old days in care, Celia, is worried about Eva, has cautioned her about raking up the past, and is set on stopping her from further heartbreak.

The narrative unfolds from the perspectives of Eva, Celia and Gareth. The reader has no clue if any of them is reliable as each tells his or her version of the story. All seem a bit overwrought with emotion and there is a LOT of anger underlying their actions. The pace is slow by sure as all of them come to Twinby for answers -- seeking out Eva's mother as the source and wanting her to pay for the sorry mess that is their lives. Unfortunately, one of them is a total psycho...NO SPOILERS

Despite my misgivings at the internal angsting all were experiencing and the repetition of the emotional turmoil, I ended up enjoying this because the conclusion, though somewhat expected, was quite satisfying. I'm glad I finished it despite wanting to chuck it initially. If you want to read a novel about 3 really messed up young people, then this is the book for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloodhound Books for this e-book ARC to read and review.

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.