Book Details:
Genre: Mystery/SuspensePublished by: Carina Press
Publication Date: July 15, 2013
Number of Pages: 280
ISBN: 978-14268-9584-5
Purchase Links:
Synopsis:
Everybody thought brilliant Cecily would leave dead-end Miller's Falls for something better. But a two-decades-old tragedy locks her in place. Few understand the fierce bond that Cecily and Amelia share with Hilary, who was assaulted one summer as the two other girls watched helplessly. It's a bond of love and guilt…and a desire for vengeance that cuts clear to the bone.So Assistant DA Cecily Minos waits, eager to see the guy in her courtroom. When Amelia meets a man who has the tattoo the girls remember seeing that day, they think they've finally caught a break. But the police refuse to reopen the case, and it's up to Cecily and Amelia to pursue their suspect.
Their investigation soon uncovers secrets best left buried. But the law is slow, and they've waited long enough for revenge…
Author Bio:
Patricia Hale is a graduate of the MFA program at Goddard College in Vermont. She is a member of Sister’s in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, NH Writer’s Project and Maine Writer’s and Publisher’s Alliance. Her essays and articles have appeared in New England literary magazines and the anthology, My Heart’s First Steps. When not writing, she enjoys hiking with her dogs and kayaking on the lakes near her home. Patricia lives in New Hampshire with her husband and two German shepherds.
Catch Up With the Author:
Excerpt:
My lungs were tight as fists and the voice inside my head said run, but my legs couldn't be trusted. Standing up wouldn't have gotten me out of there, it would only have drawn attention to the pee that was warm in my shorts and it might have gotten Hilary killed if he was serious about running that blade across her neck.
All of a sudden the man stood and keeping his back to us, lowered the kerchief and put a cigarette in his mouth. Hilary never moved though I saw her blink. She was looking at something far away like she was somewhere else entirely and I hoped that that was true so she wouldn't have to know what happened. He pulled his baseball hat low over his face the same way it’d been when we first climbed into the railcar and without ever looking at us he jumped to the ground and walked away.
“Stay here,” I’d told Amelia, though I knew she wasn’t going anywhere. And I ran. I ran faster than I’d ever run not even caring about the pee burning the inside of my legs. I’d taken the woods instead of the path, running in the opposite direction from the way he’d gone. My legs were scraped and bleeding by the time I’d reached the road and the stitch in my side had made it almost impossible to breath, but I just kept thinking of Hilary laying there and I couldn't stop until I was pulling open my own back door. I ran into the kitchen and through the house until I found my mother kneeling beside her bed, rosary beads draped around her prayerful hands like a spider web. I stood in the doorway and looked at her, imagined wrapping my arms around her neck and her drawing me in, holding me. I imagined feeling safe. She glanced at me standing there then dismissed me with a nod of her head, knee deep in Jesus. I turned and ran for the telephone.
All of a sudden the man stood and keeping his back to us, lowered the kerchief and put a cigarette in his mouth. Hilary never moved though I saw her blink. She was looking at something far away like she was somewhere else entirely and I hoped that that was true so she wouldn't have to know what happened. He pulled his baseball hat low over his face the same way it’d been when we first climbed into the railcar and without ever looking at us he jumped to the ground and walked away.
“Stay here,” I’d told Amelia, though I knew she wasn’t going anywhere. And I ran. I ran faster than I’d ever run not even caring about the pee burning the inside of my legs. I’d taken the woods instead of the path, running in the opposite direction from the way he’d gone. My legs were scraped and bleeding by the time I’d reached the road and the stitch in my side had made it almost impossible to breath, but I just kept thinking of Hilary laying there and I couldn't stop until I was pulling open my own back door. I ran into the kitchen and through the house until I found my mother kneeling beside her bed, rosary beads draped around her prayerful hands like a spider web. I stood in the doorway and looked at her, imagined wrapping my arms around her neck and her drawing me in, holding me. I imagined feeling safe. She glanced at me standing there then dismissed me with a nod of her head, knee deep in Jesus. I turned and ran for the telephone.
My Thoughts
Three little girls, an unspeakable act,a bond among friends is the premise of this mystery. The story centers around Cecily, Amelia and Hillary, three women who have been friends since they were young. They have maintained a close friendship with each other over the years, in fact an act of violence prevents these three women from leaving their hometown, Miller's Falls. Cecily is an Assistant DA who fights for abused and mistreated women and children and sees that justice is done and the abuser gets what is coming to them.
All three women have insecurities stemming from the incident that happened when they were young. Cecily has been haunted by her past and her inability to help one of her friends so she depends on her Ouija board and self mutilation to help her cope. Amelia has numerous sexual encounters with strange men and Hillary is frequently hospitalized for drugs and alcohol abuses.
All of the women's fears come to a head when Amelia has a sexual liaison with a man with a tattoo. A tattoo that she recognizes from the past. Thus begins a hunt for a killer and secrets long buried. Cecily is obsessed with finding the man with the tattoo and bring him to justice, whether legally or not. Cecily will stop at nothing to bring closure to a haunted past.
This book is one of those page turners about women trying to overcome their insecurities. A character driven novel with people that inspire strength and give the reader lots of characters to dislike.
I enjoyed reading this book and recommend it highly.
I received this book for review and was not monetarily compensated for my review.
Three little girls, an unspeakable act,a bond among friends is the premise of this mystery. The story centers around Cecily, Amelia and Hillary, three women who have been friends since they were young. They have maintained a close friendship with each other over the years, in fact an act of violence prevents these three women from leaving their hometown, Miller's Falls. Cecily is an Assistant DA who fights for abused and mistreated women and children and sees that justice is done and the abuser gets what is coming to them.
All three women have insecurities stemming from the incident that happened when they were young. Cecily has been haunted by her past and her inability to help one of her friends so she depends on her Ouija board and self mutilation to help her cope. Amelia has numerous sexual encounters with strange men and Hillary is frequently hospitalized for drugs and alcohol abuses.
All of the women's fears come to a head when Amelia has a sexual liaison with a man with a tattoo. A tattoo that she recognizes from the past. Thus begins a hunt for a killer and secrets long buried. Cecily is obsessed with finding the man with the tattoo and bring him to justice, whether legally or not. Cecily will stop at nothing to bring closure to a haunted past.
This book is one of those page turners about women trying to overcome their insecurities. A character driven novel with people that inspire strength and give the reader lots of characters to dislike.
I enjoyed reading this book and recommend it highly.
I received this book for review and was not monetarily compensated for my review.
Superb review. SO glad you enjoyed this book! Great job! Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this title.
ReplyDeleteI've already read this book and I also enjoyed it highly. Nice suspense building in it. Ms. Hale is an author to watch.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your review of my book, In the Shadow of Revenge. So glad you liked it, more to come in this series.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to reading more in the series....
ReplyDelete