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Flowers perfectly captures small town USA - the social pressure to do the right thing, the in-line thinking. Like I said before, there really aren't any surprises, and if there are, there's not enough suspenseful tension built up to make the reader care about the identity of the villain(s). But maybe we’re supposed to just accept that the police were so convinced of Jace or Krissy’s guilt that they accepted suicide without investigating at all. I think that’s why the ending was left open, and although some people won’t like that aspect, I actually really appreciated it because we don’t always get all the answers in real life cases.
Margot Davies was January’s best friend and 6 at the time of her BFFs disappearance and it shook her to her core. Because we don’t compare the two cases, past and present throughout the narrative, I didn’t feel any sense of TENSION, like I usually do with CRIME FICTION. As Margot digs deeper, she begins to suspect that there is something truly sinister lurking in the small community: a secret that endangers the lives of everyone involved…including Margot. One night, she stumbles upon a clue in the most infamous crime in her hometown's history: the unsolved murder of six-year-old January.Overall I thought it was entertaining and I think Ashley is a good story teller, but there were some pretty glaring contrivances. Townies of Wakarusa already start criticizing the situation and another vandalizing attack happens at Jacobs’ front walls just like twenty years ago when their daughter has been kidnapped and killed. Ashley Flowers is the CEO of her own company and hosts the popular true crime podcast, Crime Junkie, which I’ve often enjoyed. Well my generosity went out the door the more I thought about this most convoluted, ridiculous fell off the cliff ending and the time I wasted reading this book. Since 2011, I have been guiding avid readers toward books they will love and offering a friendly place to discuss them.
And my favorite… a character kidnapped after standing outside at night and turning her back on an approaching vehicle, whose driver pulls to a stop, the driver exits and an older woman kidnapper grabs the character from behind and drags her back to her vehicle where she forces her inside and drives away. For all ebook purchases, you will be prompted to create an account or login with your existing HarperCollins username and password. Really, I would have believed almost any motive for Billy to kill Krissy– he found out he wasn’t the father of Jase and January, he believed her to be January’s killer all those years and then just snapped, he found out that she was having an affair with a woman–except for the one that was given. There are so many inconsistencies in this book and I know once again I am an outlier and have down rated this wildly popular novel.Dead pageant-loving daughter, parents and brother survive, fingers pointed firmly at all of them at one time. As Margot digs deeper, she begins to suspect that there is something truly sinister lurking in the small community: a secret that endangers the lives of everyone involved. Billy heard a person he thought was his wife Krissy coming up the basement stairs and, furious with her, swung the door to the basement into her, sending her flying down the stairs. Here’s the skinny - this is a quick read and written with adroit “beach-read” fast pacing and Flowers excels with this first novel - she kept my attention, didn’t irk me with a stupid female protagonist, and provided twists and a few turns which is tough to do to a reviewer who reads ALL the mysteries.
I cannot thank NetGalley, Ashley herself, and Random House Publishing Group enough for an early copy of this book for a honest review. Thank you to Harper Collins UK, NetGalley and the author for an advanced copy for my honest opinion. ANNNNNND my biggest gripe of all: she doesn’t reveal what happens to the main character and the story is left unresolved. This spring, some media outlets raised the possibility of doing enhanced DNA testing in the hopes of finally solving the case, but I haven’t seen any results of that or know if it ever happened.Darlie Routier insists she was wrongly convicted of her children’s murders and denies the theory that she staged a fake crime scene (and gravely injured herself) to cover up her alleged involvement. Margot thinks that there is no way January could have been holding onto the blanket during all the events that led to her death. I’m glad I didn’t go by some of the not so great reviews and skip this one, because I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It’s been 25 years since the death of her childhood friend, January Jacobs, and she feels that more childhood killings are related to that of her friend.
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