Girl, Forgotten by Karin Slaughter
- Published on
- Shalini
- in Book Posts, Book Reviews, Digital Reads Media, Digital Reads PR, Digital Reads Reviews, Fiction
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Blurb
A small town hides a big secret…
Who killed Emily Vaughn?
Prom Night. Longbill Beach, 1982.
Emily Vaughn dresses carefully for what’s supposed to be the highlight of any high school career.
But Emily has a secret.
And by the end of the night, because of that secret, she will be dead.
Nearly forty years later, Andrea Oliver, newly qualified as a US Marshal, receives her first assignment: to go to Longbill Beach to protect a judge receiving death threats.
But Andrea’s real focus isn’t the judge – it’s Emily Vaughn.
Ever since she first heard Emily’s name a year ago, she’s been haunted by her brutal death.
Nobody was ever convicted – her friends closed ranks, her family shut themselves off in their grief, the town moved on – so the killer is still out there.
But now Andrea has a chance to find out what really happened…
My Review
What was it all about
Girl, Forgotten was a thrilling cold-case murder mystery.
A pregnant Emily was murdered more than four decades ago. The case though cold yet was interlinked to US Marshal Andrea’s life.
She was sent to investigate. The entire town had close ranks post Emily’s murder, and it would be all up to Andrea to find justice for Emily and her child, and at the same time, find the person who was threatening a Judge.
How it made me feel - The Good
I would say the detailed subplots in the prose. The murder board which the author might have made, with the forgotten girl in the center, would have been the most intriguing as there were so many things, both past and present to take care of, both in characterization and plot lines.
The layers of subplots that Andrea had to go through, with secrets and lies abounding in this town, made the book thrilling. More in the second half. The dual timelines gave the book an added mystery.
The characters, eclectic group they were, some good and most, not so good. Bible and his wife were the most affable amongst them. But what caught my heart was Emily, so lovingly was she etched.
Every emotion of this character was beautifully weaved in. I felt I was right there with her. Her fears and love for her unborn child made me cry for her. A teen betrayed by people she once thought were her family and friends. I had no words to express the depth in her characterization.
The Bad
Somehow I couldn’t seem to get into the plot of this book, though, the murder mystery of the past was thrilling. I found Andrea’s character difficult to connect with, and I did hard.
There was something in the periphery of this book that made me want to give up and DNF it. Maybe it was the cult theme or the lack of development of characters in the present timeline. But the first half simply didn’t capture my interest.
But the murder mystery made up for it.
The Conclusion
I loved the book only for the last few chapters, where all mysteries were solved and Andrea had a more likable air around her.
The words of encouragement came from Sandy @sandysbookaday because of which I could finish this book. My heartfelt thanks to her.
I downloaded the digital version of the book from an online retail, and this is my journey down its pages, straight from the heart. STRICTLY HONEST and UNBIASED.
If you’ve loved the review, buy me a cuppa to perk me up.
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One Response
Did you read the first in this series, Shalini, Pieces of Her? It is, imho, the worst book Slaughter has written. I really disliked Andrea in it. I was sitting on the fence ,but am glad I decided to read this one as Andrea is a much ‘fuller’ character. ❤📚