Publisher: Random House
Published: June 22, 2021
Source: Publisher
Summary:
Abducted as a teenager, a woman must now confront her past and untangle the truth of what really happened to her in this dark thriller from the author of The Wolf Wants In.
“Laura McHugh expertly delivers a harrowing tale of a world where little is what it first appears to be.”–Ron Rash, bestselling author of Serena
Seventeen-year-old Sarabeth has become increasingly rebellious since her parents found God and moved their family to a remote Arkansas farmstead where she’s forced to wear long dresses, follow strict rules, and grow her hair down to her waist. She’s all but given up on escaping the farm when a masked man appears one stifling summer morning and snatches her out of the cornfield.
A week after her abduction, she’s found alongside a highway in a bloodstained dress–alive–but her family treats her like she’s tainted, and there’s little hope of finding her captor, who kept Sarabeth blindfolded in the dark the entire time, never uttering a word. One good thing arises from the horrific ordeal: a chance to leave the Ozarks and start a new life.
Five years later, Sarabeth is struggling to keep her past buried when investigator Nick Farrow calls. Convinced that her case is connected to the strikingly similar disappearance of another young girl, Farrow wants Sarabeth’s help, and he’ll do whatever it takes to get it, even if that means dragging her back to the last place she wants to go–the hills and hollers of home, to face her estranged family and all her deepest fears.
In this riveting new novel from Laura McHugh, blood ties and buried secrets draw a young woman back into the nightmare of her past to save a missing girl, unaware of what awaits her in the darkness.
My thoughts:
I cannot believe this is the first book I’ve read by Laura McHugh! I have heard how amazing her books were and now after reading this one, which was a highly anticipated read for this month, I can definitely agree…she is an amazing writer and this book totally delivered!!!
What I loved about this book is how atmospheric and tense it was the entire time. It’s not a long book by any means, not even hitting 250 pages, yet it kept me on the edge of my seat all the way through! It’s a dark, quiet book that completely sneaks up on you as to how impactful it is. I was drawn in right away and completely engaged in what was going on and never once did I see where this was headed. I had my theories, but boy was the rug pulled out from under me when the final reveal came…and I absolutely loved that!!!
This book really gets under your skin, and I loved that because of it’s brevity, nothing is wasted. It quickly gets to the heart of the matter, setting the scene and putting us right in the fray of what is going on. I loved how it moves back and forth from the present to the past, showing us how the current missing girl cases might be connected to Sarabeth’s case from years ago.
I absolutely loved this book…it is definitely one of my favorites so far this year! And Laura McHugh is without a doubt going to be a must-read author after this. I have just ordered her other books and I cannot wait to get to them! Definitely add this to your summer reading…it’s one you won’t want to miss!
