From the book:
Oddly enough, dogs still barked. The mail somehow got delivered. Kids still played in their front yards. Farmers went out to plow their fields. The shops were open for business. But nobody would ever forget the day when tragedy struck and normalcy was shattered. Somehow the town felt ruined.
This book takes you deep into a town with lots of secrets. Many years ago a teen was brutally murdered. Over the years several people, called The Nine, have gone missing. Today a teacher is murdered and another homeless woman is missing. Are they all connected or is it just coincidence? Is someone in this small close knit town a serial killer or is there more than one killer.
Natalie was a child when her sister was murdered. She herself was attacked by a boy of about 18 or 19 who had a butterfly birthmark on his upper arm. No one ever found him and she managed to escape. Another young man was sent to prison for Natalie’s sisters murder. But did he do it? He always maintained his innocence. He was so in love with Willow and said he could never have hurt her. But evidence proved he did it. Was the evidence correct though? Natalie grew up to become a cop. She took on a lot to help the town and spent many nights unable to sleep because of the things she saw. Then one night her friends wife was found murdered. She worked so hard to find the killer. What she found would haunt her forever. What she learned would never leave her mind.
This book did contain several characters that I truly liked. I think they were very well developed and the way it is written they would become people you would root for to come out on top. From a homeless woman who everyone in the town loved and tried to help to the teacher who was killed this book is filled with mysteries for sure. There is a lot going on but it was easy for me to follow. It was not told in a way that would confuse you but to enlighten you about the past and present and putting the two together.
The thing I really liked was that all of my questions were answered. You will find out who did what to whom both past and present. A few surprises thrown in to throw you off too. There are several things going one from teens practicing witchcraft to big drug parties in the woods. You will feel like you are there. During the girls trying to put spells on people and the lies they tell you will see a side to them that is not pretty. I felt like two of the teens should have got into deep trouble for things they did, but it was not written that way and it was still good. It explores things that kids do and even down to a crush on a teacher that is typical of some young silly girls in high school.
I enjoyed this book a lot. It kept me wanting to read and find out who did what. I loved that it didn’t rush into an ending that would leave you hanging. I think this author did a great job of tying up loose ends and answering all the questions. The descriptions of the area felt so realistic. From the freezing cold water to the deep dense woods. The rain falling to the dark nights following someone. I felt like I was right there and in places it was a tad scary. Well done Alice Blanchard. Very well done.
Thank you #NetGalley, #Alice Blanchard, #St Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book.
I give it 4.5 stars and a very high recommendation. You will want to read this one.
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