Suspend disbelief as you ease into this mystery thriller evoking the hot, humid, lazy days of summer.
Claire Campbell is called back home after her mother is injured. She had left South Carolina when her older sister went missing 22 years ago. The case was closed and the convicted killer in prison, but Claire is still haunted as they never did find Natalie’s body. Once back, Claire has nothing to say to her mother and is uncomfortable in the house where she’d grown up with Natalie. Trying to get some closure, Claire visits a vineyard where her sister had briefly worked as a teenager one summer. Adrift after quitting her job as a journalist, she decides to work at Galloway Farm where she will help pick the grapes and receive free room and board. Almost immediately, Claire finds a hidden diary in the ductwork of her cabin (she’s either a slow reader or it’s really thick) that chronicles how a young woman named Marcia came to live with the owner of the farm. Over the space of a couple of days, all the secrets are revealed.
This was somewhat of a slow burner as it seemed to take ages to get to the action. There were so many coincidences that the whole set of events seemed contrived and stretched credulity. I didn’t care for Claire who definitely is easily led and is a poor judge of people not to mention jumping to some erroneous conclusions. Once the chips start to fall it really gets complicated and the revelations seem a bit over the top. The conclusion was a bit underwhelming after all.
I was able to listen to the audio book while also following along in the e-book ARC, both provided by the publishers. The narrators, Helen Laser and Karissa Vacker, did a good job of voicing the characters and giving the story a suitable dramatic flair. The production definitely enhanced my enjoyment of the book.
This is a standalone and is not part of any series.
Tags and genre - missing girls, cult, murder, secrets and lies, southern setting
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