A tense and tangled mystery thriller.
School counselor and search-and-rescue expert Audrey Dixon has never stopped thinking about her childhood best friend, Janie, who vanished years ago into the shadows of local folklore (Jenny Red Hands). When she discovers a necklace associated with the legend in the woods and hears about another currently missing girl, Meghan Vale, she becomes obsessed with finding her and researches all of the cold cases. She immediately suspects that a local family might be connected to these disappearances and she begins a dangerous investigation.
The story is told in alternating "Above" and "Below" chapters with the latter featuring the perspective of a girl shackled in a dark bunker.
If you're fond of amateur sleuths going off piste and managing to stumble into incredible discoveries with luck, coincidence, and daring, then this is the story for you. The narrative becomes increasingly convoluted as it tries to tie together the urban legend with the multi generational drama of a prominent family. The tension is high but for some reason, the book seemed to drag at times. The final reveals felt way over the top with the shocking twists and the ambiguous ending.
I was able to listen to the audio book while also reading along in the e-book ARC, both provided by the publisher. The narrators, Karissa Vacker and Ina Barron, did an admirable job of voicing the main female characters though at times they both got carried away with dramatic flair. Listening always enhances my pleasure in the book and this was no exception.
This is a standalone and is not part of any series.
Tags and genre: missing girls, kidnapped, murder, amateur sleuth, family drama
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