As with Goldin's later books, this one had all the riveting twists and turns and the psychological elements readers have come to expect.
THE GIRL IN KELLERS WAYis an intriguing novel of deception and delusion.
Set in NC (in my hometown area), a riveting domestic noir suspense from a seasoned pro (war zone journalist) turned psychological thriller novelist. Before becoming a novelist, Megan worked as a reporter covering the Middle East and Asia for the Reuters news agency, the Associate Press, and ABC, as well as other news outlets.
When the body of a woman is found in the forest near Kellers Way, detective Mel Carter must re-open an old case that was closed. There are links to Matt and Julie, and both become suspects— Mel must work out who is reliable and who is lying.
Narrated from two POVs: Julie West: Housewife, and mother to three-year-old Alice, Julie is the second wife of Matt West, a psychology lecturer. She loves jogging on Kellers Way. She lives in the shadow of Laura's tragedy, daily. She sees herself as the inconvenience second wife the way she is treated by Matt.
Julie became Matt's wife and mother to his young daughter Alice— after his wife, Laura, was tragically killed. Matt has never really gotten over the shock of his wife's tragic death. Matt is not a faithful husband and is a womanizer. Julie is being compromised by Matt (drugged)and has given up her love of life and jogging. She no longer trusts her husband and has doubts about her memories.
Julie is under stress from the memory of Laura, the demands of being a trophy wife, and constant worries about her husband’s attention from the young women who flock to his lectures. Her escape is in running, and one morning in the forest on Kellers Way, she is forced to dive out of the way of a crashing vehicle.
Then the dying driver gives her a chilling warning… then he dies.
Detective Melanie Carter: The second narration is Mel Carter, the homicide detective assigned to the case of the body found on Kellers Way. Mel is a single mother who balances her family with her professional life as a detective. Her police officer husband was killed on active duty in NY. She is determined to identify the victim found on Kellers Way and the killer. She wants closure for the victim's family.
Mel is a complex character, struggling with her oldest son acting out and worrying about the effect their father’s loss has on her sons. Mel left NY with her two boys after the death of her husband. Alternate chapters are told from Mel’s point of view as she tracks down the identity of a body found in Kellers Way, and then the person responsible for their death.
Things get busy for DI Mel Carter when her partner goes on holiday. Just two weeks apart, there’s a fatal road crash and then the discovery of human remains, both on Kellers Way. Mel discovers that the murder of Laura West is not a closed case and that the trail of clues is not as clear as she had thought.
Is the obvious suspect the murderer? Or has an innocent person been condemned? Mel and Julie's lives intersect when Mel suspects Julie may have a connection to the body found on Kellers Way.
To complicate matters making it more mysterious, there’s someone warning Julie she’s in danger, intriguing new information about Matt’s research, and some questions about Alice’s parentage.
A gripping twisty story infused with psychological elementsabout how we perceive situations and process memory.
And that ending...!
Even though these are not girls as the title implies, they are women and the author keeps you guessing with red herrings and plot twists. Goldin is a talented storyteller and even though this was her first novel, she has a wealth of experience (see bio). When you read her subsequent novels, you will agree she is a star.
With well-developed characters,you will love/hate them— Especially Matt who is despicable. Even though he did not have a voice in the novel, he was highly unlikeable. I enjoyed Mel's character and her drive with her job and balancing her personal life and her partner, Will.
Julie is somewhat of a mixed bag with the memories and drugs, fugue state, and jealous mania— based on how her character is represented as being worn down by Matt and an unreliable witness and narrator. You are not sure if you can trust her.
I hope we see a sequel, later on, to continue with DI Mel Carter! (we are getting a sequel from Night Swim with Dark Corners), so maybe this one too.
AUDIOBOOK: I purchased the audiobook narrated by Anthea Greco and Susan Godfrey. The narrator for Mel was not as good as Julie's part as she was very breathy. I did enjoy Julie's narrator immensely. Overall, an entertaining performance and listened in one sitting.
Blog Review Posted @ www.JudithDCollins.com @JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks Pub Date: Mar 22, 2018 My Rating: 4 Stars
Master storyteller Camille Di Maio returns following Before the Rain Falls with THE WAY OF BEAUTY —a charming multi-generational love story of family,Master storyteller Camille Di Maio returns following Before the Rain Falls with THE WAY OF BEAUTY —a charming multi-generational love story of family, love, loss, and hope.
Meticulously researched and beautifully written, a lovely tribute to the workers who risked their lives, and the wonders of Penn Station and New York City.
As always, not only does the author provide fascinating and interesting historical facts and detailed history, her characters jump off the page.
Vera Keller, the daughter of German immigrants is devastated when discovering the man she loves is engaged to someone else. She is young and carefree and the caregiver for her aging father.
The second half of the book explores Alice, her daughter. Alice is also a dreamer and wants a better life.
Camille weaves the timelines and character storylines for a heartwarming tale, combining fact and fiction. She explores highly-charged topics of social classes, immigrants, women’s rights, activism, and loads of history and lots of heart.
Highly recommend this author. Have read all her books and each one is unique with her own winning signature style.
Check out her upcoming book, coming March 5, 2019, THE BEAUTIFUL STRANGERS!
MIND-BENDING!Award-winning author Hank Phillippi Ryan returns following her popular Jane Ryland series withTRUST ME—a fresh, polished, timely, and masterfully crafted sophisticated standalone crime thriller with a killer plot twist.Her BEST yet!
Who is the LIAR?
A delicious, cat-and-mouse game of manipulation and deception. A riveting psychological suspense thriller that will blow you away! One of the Hottest Thrillers of the Year.Top Books of 2018.5 Stars +
TRUST MEis complex, chilling, dark. A tautly constructed gripping psychological thriller with a shocking "award-winning" twisty ending. An obsessed journalist faces off with a suburban mom.Only one can prevail.
"There are three sides to every story. Yours. Mine. And the Truth."
Ryan has outdone herself,and if this one does not wind up topping the charts on theNew York Timesbestselling list for months to come, I will be shocked. Furthermore, it is movie-worthy. If you love intelligently written true-crime shows or books, you will devour!
Readers, this is what you get with,TRUST ME.
The author’s inside knowledge, skill, and expertise as a seasoned journalist. The up close and personal. She knows this business inside and out. She has seen and heard it all.
Plot-driven and character-driven, the characters jump off the page and into your mind. They will twist you beyond belief. You will question everyone and everything. You will be turned in many directions. How many sides are there to the truth? Who is the liar? Can a writer be outsmarted?Let the games begin.
After reading, you will agree, trust me...She was born to write this story.
It is INTENSE!Hang on tight. It is a Wild ride. Let’s dive in.
Mercer Hennessey:Boston. Talented crime writer. Grieving wife and mother.
It has been four hundred forty-two days since the car accident that destroyed her family. The crash that took Dex and Sophie. Each day she watches as the number disintegrate as she writes them on her steamy bathroom mirror.
There has been no writing since the accident—except for the numbers on her mirror. People finally have left her alone. She has not heard from her former editor for months. Not since she stopped returning calls.
Katherine Craft:Her former editor. She thinks it is time for Mercer to get back to work. The Baby Boston story will be perfect for her. She wants her to write the inside story of this gruesome crime. A toddler was killed and dumped in Boston harbor. The mother is on trial for murder. She knows Mercer is the only writer who can do this story justice.
Mercer:A job. All she needs to do is watch the courtroom testimony through the same video feed the TV stations use, then write an instant book about the Baby Boston murder. She needs the money and is offered fifteen thousand dollars up front and the same after the verdict when the book hits the market. Then hefty royalties afterward.She could be a bestselling author.
Possibly the book could give her a reason to get up in the morning. She knows this horrible mother is most definitely guilty. Maybe she can do this for Sophie and Dex. Strive for justice. She must avenge Baby Boston.
She will secretly dedicate the book to Sophie and all the little girls unfairly wrenched away from this world. Can she do this? A mother who took her own daughter’s life. She, in turn, lost her daughter due to a tragic accident.Is she prepared physically, mentally, and emotionally?
It is never the mother, right? The boyfriend, father, but the mother? What kind of monster mother could kill her own two-year-old?
Mercer is a storyteller.A writer. She takes facts and makes them fascinating. Like in Cold Blood. Narrative Nonfiction. She agrees to write the book.
She despises Ashlyn Bryant. The killer, ofTasha Nichole.Her innocent two-year-old daughter. She has been held in a cell for the past year and lied to everyone. Pretending Tasha was somewhere else with a babysitter. According to the police she had motive, means and opportunity. Ashlyn’s defense attorney is an old colleague of Dex.
Ashlyn Bryanis the most reviled woman in Massachusetts. The entire country. Two weeks after the verdict, she will be sentenced. As soon as she is put away for life, the publisher wants the book. Then, of course, she will have to add the ending.
Mercer is sharp.She writes. She pours over the details. She captures Ashlyn’s deception, manipulation, her reliance on delusion, her narcissistic self- confidence. She writes about Tasha, the victim of her mother’s toxic life. It is empowering. Her words will become history. The truth. She must slip inside their heads. She wants justice.A little girl thrown away— discarded in a trash bag.
From Georgia the mother, the father, the club owner, Valerie-the babysitter, the daughter’s real father. Pouring through the trial, the court records, courtroom drama, transcripts, timelines, evidence, legalities.What is the truth and what is a lie?
Mercer is physically and emotionally addictedto Ashlyn’s punishment. But what if she is not found guilty? Could she write a book about redemption? Mercer knows what she is writing about is true, but she is good at making things up.
However, so is Ashlyn. She soon decides she wants to see her in person to make the writing more vivid and authentic.She must figure out the details of what really happened.
She thinks back to theCasey Anthony trial.(we lived and breathed this in Florida- she now lives here in West Palm Beach). The woman who was charged with murdering her toddler daughter in Florida and was found not guilty (to everyone’s horror and disbelief). Is Ashlyn a sociopath?Or could she be telling the truth?
Casey and Ashlyn’slives are similar as far as their clubbing and partying. Did she take murder lessons from Casey? Duct tape. Chloroform. Ashlyn Bryant is on trial for first-degree murder. Premeditation, malice, and extreme cruelty.
However, this monster only has to make the jury see reasonable doubt. They do not want to convict for a crime that carries a life sentence without all the evidence.
“Jurors took two days to convict Jodi Arias of killing an ex-boyfriend. Four days to convict the Menendez brothers of killing their parents. Eleven days to convict Scott Peterson of killing his wife Lacey and their unborn child. On the other hand, that idiot Florida jury only took about ten hours to acquit Casey Anthony. To acquit O. J. Simpson, less than four hours. Four hours. So as long deliberation has to mean guilty. I deeply relish that Ashlyn must also know that.”
What if she gets off?Mercer will die if this happens.
41 hrs and 5 days. Her worst nightmare. She cannot believe this. Now she comes face to face with Ashlyn Bryant. Worse still her editor has delivered her to her doorstep, due to the media. The book is over. The trial is over.All her hard work.
Now she has to write another book.This monster is in her home. The same house where her daughter had lived. She feels violated.This is where the games begin.
Now this, my dear reader friends is whereTRUST MEand the author pulls out the "big guns." From 40-50% into the book, and every page to the explosive conclusion (THE TWIST) —an intense, deadly game of cat-and-mouse. Who is the liar? What is the truth?Who's zoomin' who?
The writing and the storytelling, exposing the truth. Mercer is determined. She uses her keen journalism techniques to allow the subject to believe the story is for their benefit, instead of your own. If Mercer can make it for two more weeks. She will use every trick in the book. However, Ashlyn is a master manipulator. She is a pro at deceiving and possess her own bag of tricks.
No one has been in her house for over a year, and now there are only the memories andTHIS WOMAN.
Then Ashlyn attempts to turn the tables. Will she succeed? Can she trust Mercer? Can Mercer believe anything that comes of Ashlyn’s mouth? Which one will win out in the end?
OMG!How do you begin to describe this powerful novel and the superb writing?
No doubt Ryan draws inspiration from her career as an investigative reporter inTRUST ME,which explores the unlikely — and potentially sinister — a relationship that blossoms between a grieving journalist and an accused murderer who insists she's innocent. What results is a tense cat-and-mouse heart-pounding game that will keep you turning the pages into the wee hours of the morning. You have a grieving obsessed writer, and a (killer) suburban mom.Who will prevail?
At one point, I was unsure where the book was headed when Ashlyn began questioning Mercer about her family’s tragic accident. This portion reminded me of A. R. Torre’sThe Ghostwriter(I loved-top books of 2017), another writer with child and husband killed in an accident. However, it took a different turn, I was holding my breath with this part with heart pounding.
Ryan exploresmany thought-provoking themes: grief, mother-daughter relationships, ethics in journalism, media sensationalism, and the desperate search for the elusive truth.
Having read and enjoyed Hank’s previous books (The Jane Ryland Series) –TRUST MEgoes to a much deeper level. Her best yet! A darker psychological level. She explores all sides of the truth and knocks it "out of the park." Enjoyed the courtroom drama and the details. The best was the banter between the two women. Sizzling and thought-provoking!
A classic, for every thriller reader. A gem. Get it. Read it. Enjoy it. Let's Discuss. Book Clubs—A perfect choice.
Loading...
