Cathy C. (cathyskye) -
Helpful Score: 1
Sarah Graves certainly knows how to write a story that grabs you by the throat and won't turn you loose until you've read the last page. Once again, she uses her Maine North Woods setting to its best advantage. That forest fire that experts and volunteers alike battle throughout the book adds real tension to the story, and little inclusions like the definition of "North Woods chrome" bring verisimilitude and smiles.
In The Girls She Left Behind, almost half the story is told from the viewpoint of a young girl who managed to escape Henry Gemerle's clutches. At first the girl has my complete sympathy, but the more she talks, the more I see... and the more I wonder. It's a very clever and very well-done plot device. In fact this book is filled with women whose motivations readers will wonder about. Jane, the girl who escaped; Jane's cousin Cam; Tara Wylie, a young girl who made the wrong decisions on the wrong day; and Tara's mother Peg. Once in a while I would find myself looking up from this book and asking the air, "Do any of these women know how to tell the truth?" Yes, all the lies and evasions could be frustrating, but it certainly kept me on my toes.
Of all the characters in the book, my opinion of Sheriff Cody Chevrier continues to rise. He may be sheriff in a huge yet sparsely populated county in Maine, but he stays on top of all the crime stories he can because "you'd be surprised how many fugitives think Maine's a good place to vanish." Chevrier may not have the sense of humor of Walt Longmire, but he still reminds me of my favorite Wyoming sheriff.
Like Winter at the Door, Graves' second Lizzie Snow book has almost too much going on. The fire. The missing teenage girl. The escaped psycho. All these lying females flitting around. Lizzie's search for her missing niece. I'm definitely looking forward to the third book in this series, and I'm hoping for three things: (1) that there's a little less for Lizzie to deal with, (2) that she either finds her niece or the search is dropped because it really doesn't add that much to the books, and (3) that Lizzie makes up her mind between Trey and Dylan. Romantic triangles stink when they hang on too long.
Not read Winter at the Door and wondering if you need to? You don't. The Girls She Left Behind reads quite well as a standalone. Head on up to the Great North Woods with Sarah Graves and Lizzie Snow!
In The Girls She Left Behind, almost half the story is told from the viewpoint of a young girl who managed to escape Henry Gemerle's clutches. At first the girl has my complete sympathy, but the more she talks, the more I see... and the more I wonder. It's a very clever and very well-done plot device. In fact this book is filled with women whose motivations readers will wonder about. Jane, the girl who escaped; Jane's cousin Cam; Tara Wylie, a young girl who made the wrong decisions on the wrong day; and Tara's mother Peg. Once in a while I would find myself looking up from this book and asking the air, "Do any of these women know how to tell the truth?" Yes, all the lies and evasions could be frustrating, but it certainly kept me on my toes.
Of all the characters in the book, my opinion of Sheriff Cody Chevrier continues to rise. He may be sheriff in a huge yet sparsely populated county in Maine, but he stays on top of all the crime stories he can because "you'd be surprised how many fugitives think Maine's a good place to vanish." Chevrier may not have the sense of humor of Walt Longmire, but he still reminds me of my favorite Wyoming sheriff.
Like Winter at the Door, Graves' second Lizzie Snow book has almost too much going on. The fire. The missing teenage girl. The escaped psycho. All these lying females flitting around. Lizzie's search for her missing niece. I'm definitely looking forward to the third book in this series, and I'm hoping for three things: (1) that there's a little less for Lizzie to deal with, (2) that she either finds her niece or the search is dropped because it really doesn't add that much to the books, and (3) that Lizzie makes up her mind between Trey and Dylan. Romantic triangles stink when they hang on too long.
Not read Winter at the Door and wondering if you need to? You don't. The Girls She Left Behind reads quite well as a standalone. Head on up to the Great North Woods with Sarah Graves and Lizzie Snow!
Only 3 stars--the other reviewers have pretty much told the story BUT I thought it was a far fetched storyline and done before, even though it is a 'short' book it felt like it took me forever to get through it, I think there was just too much going on and at one point I thought it got confusing and wasn't sure if the hospital employee was Jane or if someone else was the guilty person, that wasn't a part I thought was very interesting and didn't feel it was a good addition to the story, and I just felt like something was 'off' about the story and the relationships will get boring if Graves doesn't get it sorted out along with the missing niece, that part was just boring.
The Girls She Left Behind by Sarah Graves is the second book in A Lizzie Snow series. Elizabeth "Lizzie" Snow is a former Boston Homicide Detective who moved to Bearkill, Maine. Lizzie is now a deputy with the Aroostook County Sheriff's Department (she is the liaison from the sheriff's department for the town). Lizzie gave up her dream job (as a detective) to look for her deceased sister's (Cecily) daughter, Nicki who has been missing for eight years. There was a sighting of Nicki in the area (but it is a big wooded area in this part of Maine). The Girls She Left Behind starts fifteen years prior when a man kidnaps Jane Crimmins and her cousin, Cam. Jane manages to escape from the man, but she never tells anyone of what happened to her, her cousin, or the other girls in the basement.
Fifteen years later three girls are rescued from the basement of the man's house. Cam is one of the girls rescued. Henry Gemerle is the kidnapper, but he is found incompetent to stand trial. He is sentenced to a mental hospital. In Bearkill, fourteen-year-old Tara Wylie has disappeared. At first her mother, Peg believes that Tara just took off for a day again. Tara usually shows back up. This time Tara does not return and actually misses school (something she has never done before). Then Lizzie finds out that Henry has escaped from the mental asylum and may be in the area. Did Henry take Tara? Lizzie will have to work quickly to find Tara but she has the added difficulty of forest fires breaking out in the area. The might have to evacuate the area at any moment. Lizzie works with Dylan Hudson of the Maine State Police (and Lizzie's ex-lover) to find Tara. But Lizzie thinks Peg is hiding something from her. Is Peg Wylie's secret more important than her daughter's life?
The Girls She Left Behind is a good book, but not as wonderful as the first book in the series. I had a little trouble getting into The Girls She Left Behind. The mystery and suspense are excellent (and the book does pick up the pace and get much better as you get further into the book). I am, though, tired of the relationship between Lizzie and her two (maybe) beaus (Dylan Hudson and Trey Washburn). (Spoiler Alert) The relationships really do not advance or change in the book. There is also no further progress on Lizzie's search for her missing niece. (Spoiler complete) I found that part of the book to be frustrating (and really unnecessary). I give The Girls She Left Behind 4.25 out of 5 stars (which means I liked it).
I received a complimentary copy of The Girls She Left Behind from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Fifteen years later three girls are rescued from the basement of the man's house. Cam is one of the girls rescued. Henry Gemerle is the kidnapper, but he is found incompetent to stand trial. He is sentenced to a mental hospital. In Bearkill, fourteen-year-old Tara Wylie has disappeared. At first her mother, Peg believes that Tara just took off for a day again. Tara usually shows back up. This time Tara does not return and actually misses school (something she has never done before). Then Lizzie finds out that Henry has escaped from the mental asylum and may be in the area. Did Henry take Tara? Lizzie will have to work quickly to find Tara but she has the added difficulty of forest fires breaking out in the area. The might have to evacuate the area at any moment. Lizzie works with Dylan Hudson of the Maine State Police (and Lizzie's ex-lover) to find Tara. But Lizzie thinks Peg is hiding something from her. Is Peg Wylie's secret more important than her daughter's life?
The Girls She Left Behind is a good book, but not as wonderful as the first book in the series. I had a little trouble getting into The Girls She Left Behind. The mystery and suspense are excellent (and the book does pick up the pace and get much better as you get further into the book). I am, though, tired of the relationship between Lizzie and her two (maybe) beaus (Dylan Hudson and Trey Washburn). (Spoiler Alert) The relationships really do not advance or change in the book. There is also no further progress on Lizzie's search for her missing niece. (Spoiler complete) I found that part of the book to be frustrating (and really unnecessary). I give The Girls She Left Behind 4.25 out of 5 stars (which means I liked it).
I received a complimentary copy of The Girls She Left Behind from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
THE GIRLS SHE LEFT BEHIND (LIZZIE SNOW, BK 2) by SARAH GRAVES
When they were young teenagers, two girls, cousins, sneaked out of their respective houses to go party. Then a parent's worst nightmare, the girls are abducted. They are taken somewhere and thrown into a basement equipped with cages. They are not alone ... there are others. One of the cousins escapes and because she's ashamed of what he did to her, she tells no one.
Fifteen years later, she sees on the news that 3 girls have been rescued ... one of them is her cousin. The kidnapper is 'mentally unstable' and now resides in a mental health facility until he is able to go to court.
So begins a twisted tale of love, hate, jealousy, revenge.
Lizzie Snow is investigating the disappearance of a 14-year-old girl who's been gone for a couple of days. Since her 18-year-old boyfriend is also missing, it is assumed they have run away together. But Lizzie feels like the mother is hiding... something.
I loved this book! Lizzie is a strong, accept no BS woman. And she absolutely will not tolerate anyone lying to her. You can ask her partner, Dylan .... he lied and said he was separated from his wife .. he wasn't. And there is no more relationship there, although the attraction is still evident. Dylan seems to be like a good guy .. a lousy husband, but basically a good man.
In this fairly small town there are all kinds of secondary players. Some are exactly what you see ... some aren't quite so open.
And all through this highly suspenseful story rages a forest fire .... the ashes falling over everything .. some people are staying, some are evacuating. It is so well-described, I could almost smell the fire. And the fire plays a huge part of this story.
I almost could not bear to put this one down! The author is one that I will keep my eye on. She does have another series, cozies ... but it's her two psychological mysteries that are drawing me in.
My heart-felt thanks to the author / Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine / NetGalley who furnished a digital copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
The book will be available January 12, 2016
When they were young teenagers, two girls, cousins, sneaked out of their respective houses to go party. Then a parent's worst nightmare, the girls are abducted. They are taken somewhere and thrown into a basement equipped with cages. They are not alone ... there are others. One of the cousins escapes and because she's ashamed of what he did to her, she tells no one.
Fifteen years later, she sees on the news that 3 girls have been rescued ... one of them is her cousin. The kidnapper is 'mentally unstable' and now resides in a mental health facility until he is able to go to court.
So begins a twisted tale of love, hate, jealousy, revenge.
Lizzie Snow is investigating the disappearance of a 14-year-old girl who's been gone for a couple of days. Since her 18-year-old boyfriend is also missing, it is assumed they have run away together. But Lizzie feels like the mother is hiding... something.
I loved this book! Lizzie is a strong, accept no BS woman. And she absolutely will not tolerate anyone lying to her. You can ask her partner, Dylan .... he lied and said he was separated from his wife .. he wasn't. And there is no more relationship there, although the attraction is still evident. Dylan seems to be like a good guy .. a lousy husband, but basically a good man.
In this fairly small town there are all kinds of secondary players. Some are exactly what you see ... some aren't quite so open.
And all through this highly suspenseful story rages a forest fire .... the ashes falling over everything .. some people are staying, some are evacuating. It is so well-described, I could almost smell the fire. And the fire plays a huge part of this story.
I almost could not bear to put this one down! The author is one that I will keep my eye on. She does have another series, cozies ... but it's her two psychological mysteries that are drawing me in.
My heart-felt thanks to the author / Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine / NetGalley who furnished a digital copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
The book will be available January 12, 2016
