The reporters who usually handle the crime for the Ridgedale Reader are busy so Molly, a life-style reporter at the tiny paper, is assigned to report on the dead body found in the woods near campus. Out of her comfort zone, Molly is new to the quiet town and is still recovering from the death of her baby, yet she's determined to see this story though even after it is determined that the deceased is an infant.
Sandy is also new to town. She's a young woman who has lived a rough life with her mother. Now her mom is missing; she's been evicted from their crappy apartment and her closely guarded secrets are unraveling.
Where They Found Her by Kimberly McCreight combines the perspectives of Molly, Sandy and the police chief's wife Barbara to tell the mysterious story of the baby's death. As Molly digs for the truth she uncovers long buried secrets in the small and quaint community.
I thoroughly enjoyed McCreight's novel Reconstructing Amelia so I was looking forward to reading her newest novel. However, I had a really hard time getting into Where They Found Her. It felt disjointed. I was intrigued by the mystery of the baby's death but for some reason I just couldn't connect with the characters. Perhaps it was the newspaper articles and online chats interjected between the narrative that threw me off.
The pace picked up in the second half of the book and I fell into an easier rhythm reading it. The story lines started to come together and gain momentum. The plot definitely takes center stage and I hungrily turned pages wanting to know how the mystery would be solved. Unfortunately, the psychological aspects of the tale still seemed forced and the characters cliche. The ending felt abrupt and thrown together.
Overall, I was disappointed by Where They Found Her. It's not horrible. There are thrilling moments. It was just not up to par with McCreight's previous novel.
Where They Found Her by Kimberly McCreight is published by Harper and released April 14, 2015.
**I received a complimentary copy of Where They Found Her. No other compensation was received. All opinions are my own.**
I really enjoyed it, maybe more than her first book. There is a discussion of this book with spoilers on Sarah's bookshelves, you should add your thoughts. :)
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