I read WHAT SHE KNEW for the August 2016 pick in my online book club, The Reading Cove. It's yet another missing child story. An apparent commercial fiction trend of late. Sigh.
What I Liked:
I thought the subplots and red herrings were well handled. I wasn't sure where things were headed and who the culprit would turn out to be, but the police investigation was quite engaging and interesting to follow as it unfolded.
And I truly appreciated that the mother, Rachel, wasn't falling for the detective searching for her missing child, or otherwise preoccupied with her love life in this one.
The character of the missing boy's father rang true, and the whodunnit turned out to be a plausible, unexpected reveal.
What I Didn't Like:
While Rachel wasn't side-focusing on her love life, we still have the romanticized mother who promptly goes home the very day her 8-year-old son is snatched on her watch, sits there glumly wringing her hands while friends, family and law enforcement pet, console and treat her like an egg shell perched to break. Seriously?!
Rachel's POV is nothing like the true nightmare of this situation in real, practical life. And quite honestly I have RCFKF: 'Romanticized Commercial Fiction Kidnapping Fatigue.' When an author has no clue what it's like to have her child suddenly disappear and merely ends up "playing house" with the premise, which apparently serves as sufficient entertainment for the average reader. :(
The pacing was also pretty uneven. The day-after-day plodding tedium suddenly got in a big hurry in the epilogue where it became all about telling and no showing. Very disappointing after the investment of time the reader makes to get to that point, traipsing through a lot of superfluous descriptions and supporting character backstories.
So overall, while it wasn't the worst of its kind, I have to say: I'm sorry but my brain works too well for this. I can't jump on the bandwagon of watered down child kidnapping stories. I'll have to avoid these "trendy" storylines in the future! LOL ~ 3.25 stars.
What I Liked:
I thought the subplots and red herrings were well handled. I wasn't sure where things were headed and who the culprit would turn out to be, but the police investigation was quite engaging and interesting to follow as it unfolded.
And I truly appreciated that the mother, Rachel, wasn't falling for the detective searching for her missing child, or otherwise preoccupied with her love life in this one.
The character of the missing boy's father rang true, and the whodunnit turned out to be a plausible, unexpected reveal.
What I Didn't Like:
While Rachel wasn't side-focusing on her love life, we still have the romanticized mother who promptly goes home the very day her 8-year-old son is snatched on her watch, sits there glumly wringing her hands while friends, family and law enforcement pet, console and treat her like an egg shell perched to break. Seriously?!
Rachel's POV is nothing like the true nightmare of this situation in real, practical life. And quite honestly I have RCFKF: 'Romanticized Commercial Fiction Kidnapping Fatigue.' When an author has no clue what it's like to have her child suddenly disappear and merely ends up "playing house" with the premise, which apparently serves as sufficient entertainment for the average reader. :(
The pacing was also pretty uneven. The day-after-day plodding tedium suddenly got in a big hurry in the epilogue where it became all about telling and no showing. Very disappointing after the investment of time the reader makes to get to that point, traipsing through a lot of superfluous descriptions and supporting character backstories.
So overall, while it wasn't the worst of its kind, I have to say: I'm sorry but my brain works too well for this. I can't jump on the bandwagon of watered down child kidnapping stories. I'll have to avoid these "trendy" storylines in the future! LOL ~ 3.25 stars.
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