*SOME SPOILERS*
When two girls are abducted and killed in Missouri, journalist Camille Preaker is sent back to her home town to report on the crimes. Long-haunted by a childhood tragedy and estranged from her mother for years, Camille suddenly finds herself installed once again in her family’s mansion, reacquainting herself with her distant mother and the half-sister she barely knows – a precocious 13-year-old who holds a disquieting grip on the town.
I love the premise of this book, having Camille return to her home town after years to report about the two murdered children. We learn about the setting through Camille’s memory and how she compares to how it is now. There is already that mystery surrounding why Camille left in the first place and why she doesn’t speak to her mother.
I have to say I found myself at times being sympathetic towards Camille but I can’t say I actually liked her as a character. I think she was at times a little problematic and she really should of recused herself from the story from the beginning. She knew it would be triggering to come back to town and she definitely unravels and makes some strange decisions.
I absolutely hated Adora and Amma but I can say that’s a positive for Gillian Flynn for making me have a reaction to the characters she’s written. The over sexualised nature of Amma and the casualness she exudes whenever she is being nasty or inappropriate was horrifying. I just wish Camille would of exerted some form of authority over her and told her what she was doing was bad which I feel she’s never been told in her life. Adora on the other hand was just unnerving and weird.
I enjoyed the fact that there is the overarching mystery surrounding the girls murdered and I found the way Camille uncovered it to be entertaining for sure. The way the plot unravels and we start to have more a clear picture as to who the murderer was very intriguing. I had my suspicions from the start and the misdirect was a great touch but I was eventually correct.
⭐️3/5 stars Shocking and twisted!
amyleighreads.com 