THE LOST GIRLS by Jessica Chiarella

 

When her true-crime podcast becomes an overnight sensation, a young woman is pulled into the web of a case that may offer a surprising connection to her own sister's disappearance years earlier.

It's been more than twenty years since Marti Reese's sister, Maggie, disappeared. Only eight-years-old at the time, Marti can't remember what happened, just that Maggie got into a car and never returned. After years of grief and countless false leads, Marti is coping as best she can: abandoning her marriage, drinking to forget, and documenting her never-ending search via a true-crime podcast. But when the podcast becomes an unexpected hit and Marti thinks she's finally ready to put it all behind her, a mysterious woman calls with new information that could lead her down a dangerous path.

For years, Ava Vreeland has been fighting to overturn her brother's murder conviction. After finding strange similarities between the two cases, Ava is certain there's a connection between the murder and Maggie's disappearance, one that could prove her brother's innocence. Together, Marti and Ava embark on a quest for the truth, but the more Marti digs, the more she's shaken by the answers she might find, and what it is she's even searching for...

MY THOUGHTS: 

This book is another great thriller for me. A debut novel by Jessica Chiarella that is so good. I thought it was going to be another mystery to solve but it's so much more. It has all the excitement you want in a thriller. Yes it has some mystery to it but the thrills are not to be forgotten. There are many of them. Lots of action in this book. That made it a five star read for me. 

The story of a sister who does not want to give up her search for her older sister who went missing many years before. Marti lost her older sister when she was only eight years old. Maggie was last seen getting into a car. She was sixteen. Just a child. But was she taken or did she just run away? Marti and her best friend Andrea have a podcast and have just won a nice award for it. It's their first season and it's all about Maggie and what could have happened to her. Marti wants answers. It seems she may get some when she receives a call from someone claiming to know something. But is she being honest? Is what she has to say really to help Marti?

This book will take you through many ups and downs. Many twists and turns. Your mind will go in several different directions. But you won't figure this one out. At least not all of it. And if you do you may just be wrong. There are two girls missing. One is found dead. Are they linked? Who could have done this? Follow Marti's story and you will find some answers. You will find out who is evil. I mean evil to the very core. Without a soul. A cold blooded murderer. Or is that another curve? 

This book was a fast read. It held my attention from start to finish. From all the horrors and all the sadness. I liked the characters. Even the ones that ended up being bad. Of course after I found out who was that bad I didn't like them as much. That is a given. But for the most part they are all likable. I felt for Marti's soon to be ex. I also was a bit upset with Marti for all the drinking she did. It had to be hard to hold down her job being drunk or hungover so much. But what do I know. Except that this a great book. Well written. Well thought out. Well played. 

Thank you to #netgalley, #jessicachiarella, #penguingroupputnam for this ARC. This is my own true feelings about this book.

5/5 stars. A high recommendation to anyone that loves a good thriller...