Publisher: Atria Books / Simon & Schuster Audio
Published: November 2, 2021
Source: Print: ARC Paperback via Atria Books / Print: ALC via Simon & Schuster Audio
Summary:
From the author of Little Broken Things, a “race-to-the-finish family drama” (People) following a mother who must confront the dark summer that changed her life forever in order to reclaim the daughter she left behind.
Juniper Baker had just graduated from high school and was deep in the throes of a summer romance when Cal and Beth Murphy, a childless couple who lived on a neighboring farm, were brutally murdered. When her younger brother became the prime suspect, June’s world collapsed and everything she loved that summer fell away. She left, promising never to return to tiny Jericho, Iowa.
Until now. Officially, she’s back in town to help an ill friend manage the local library. But really, she’s returned to repair her relationship with her teenage daughter, who’s been raised by Juniper’s mother and stepfather since birth—and to solve the infamous Murphy murders once and for all. She knows the key to both lies in the darkest secret of that long-ago summer night, one that’s haunted her for nearly fifteen years.
As history begins to repeat itself and a dogged local true crime podcaster starts delving into the murders, the race to the truth puts past and present on a dangerous collision course. Juniper lands back in an all-too-familiar place with the answers to everything finally in her sights, but this time it’s her daughter’s life that hangs in the balance. Will revealing what really happened mean a fresh start? Or will the truth destroy everything Juniper loves for a second time? Baart once again brilliantly weaves mystery into family drama in this expertly-crafted novel for fans of Lisa Jewell and Megan Miranda.
My thoughts:
This is the first book I’ve read by Nicole Baart and I cannot believe I have not read anything by her before. As soon as I read the synopsis of this one, I knew I had to read it and I ended up loving it!
I love a slow-burn mystery and this one totally delivers. I was pulled into this story and found myself completely captivated by the complex characters and interesting family dynamics. I love when there is even the hint of dysfunction going on and you definitely get that feeling here. With the story moving back and forth in time, we slowly find out just what happened all those years ago to send Juniper running away and what has really caused her to finally come back.
This is the type of book that really keeps you guessing. There were so many instances where I wasn’t sure just who I could trust as Juniper desperately tries to uncover an unsolved murder. And the small town setting works so well here – it’s makes for an incredibly atmospheric setting, and as someone who has lived in small towns, I appreciated all the intricacies that the author worked in – everyone knowing everything as soon as it happens or everyone knowing everything about you whether you want them to know or not.
There is such an emotional pull to this book as much as there is a thriller aspect and I loved that. This is the type of book that really gets under your skin and even though it starts off on the slower side, the last third of it picks up in pace and we have quite the conclusion. I loved the writing and the character development and while that ending took me by surprise, I loved every second of it.
Audio thoughts:
I was able to grab the audio of this one and I found myself so immersed in the story that I ended up listening to it in one day…that’s the sign of not only a great story but a great audiobook. And this one just translated so well onto audio, thanks in huge part to the narrator, Emily Tremaine, who did such a fantastic job bringing this story to life. Her pacing and intonation was spot on, and she really did a great job with all the characters, too.
