#allthebookreviews: What Remains of Her by Eric Rickstad @wmmorrowbooks @ericrickstad @tlcbooktours #whatremainsofher
What Remains of Her
by Eric Rickstad
Thanks so much to William Morrow and TLC Book Tours for this chilling story!
Right in the wheelhouse of what #allthebookreviews likes to read - see our full thoughts below.
Publisher: William Morrow
Publish Date: July 24, 2018
Paperback
416 Pages
Standalone
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Girlscomes this chilling, harrowing thriller set in rural Vermont about a recluse who believes the young girl he's found in the woods is the reincarnation of his missing daughter, returned to help him solve her and his wife's disappearance.
I won’t say a word. Cross my heart and hope to die…
Jonah Baum, a professor of poetry at a local college in Vermont, sees his ordinary life come tumbling down when his wife and young daughter vanish from their home. No evidence of a kidnapping. No sign of murder. No proof that Rebecca didn’t simply abandon her marriage. Just Sally’s crude and chilling drawings, Jonah’s little lies, and the sheriff’s nagging fears that nothing is what it seems.
For Sally’s best friend, Lucinda, it’s something else. She trusts in Sally not to just disappear, not after they’ve shared so many secrets—especially about the woods and what they saw there. But she’ll never tell. No one would believe her anyway.
As the search for Rebecca and Sally intensifies, and as suspicion falls on Jonah, the disappearances become more relentlessly haunting than anyone can imagine. Because what’s seen in the light of day is not nearly as terrifying as what remains hidden in the dark…
About Eric Rickstad
Eric Rickstad is the New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author of The Silent Girls, Lie in Wait, and Reap, novels heralded as intelligent and profound, dark, disturbing, and heartbreaking. He lives in his home state of Vermont with his wife, daughter, and son.
My Review:
This is a standard case of mother and daughter disappearing with the husband as prime suspect number one. There's an ominous tone set from the beginning with the depths of childhood imagination and that wholehearted importance to keep secrets for your best friend, no matter the consequence or potential helpfulness to a case. It's amazing what we deem to be so much more important as children than as adults.
We fast forward a couple of decades+ where people close to the case are still dealing the aftermath of this horrible crime. There's nothing worse than not having answers... or so we like to think. Grass is greener? Graves are darker? While I did like how the author transversed from one timeline to another smoothly, I found myself liking the beginning part of the book better.
The short chapters make for a fast read and I found myself continually flipping page after page. Next thing I know it's way past my bedtime and I'm halfway through the novel. While this story is addicting, I did find the ending not to surprise me as much as I thought that it would. I did the whole, "ohhhhhhhh, really?! asshole..." then shrug and continued on. (Asshole for a certain character, not the author, to be clear!)
This is an absolutely solid lighter thriller with some creepy tones and no real big surprise. The story is well written and even without that throat punch a lot of people expect from thrillers these days, it still makes an impact. I felt this was a bit more character driven and I did feel for a certain two of them. I just wanted a little bit more bite that I felt the ominous tone set at the beginning felt like it was promising.
★★★☆
We fast forward a couple of decades+ where people close to the case are still dealing the aftermath of this horrible crime. There's nothing worse than not having answers... or so we like to think. Grass is greener? Graves are darker? While I did like how the author transversed from one timeline to another smoothly, I found myself liking the beginning part of the book better.
The short chapters make for a fast read and I found myself continually flipping page after page. Next thing I know it's way past my bedtime and I'm halfway through the novel. While this story is addicting, I did find the ending not to surprise me as much as I thought that it would. I did the whole, "ohhhhhhhh, really?! asshole..." then shrug and continued on. (Asshole for a certain character, not the author, to be clear!)
This is an absolutely solid lighter thriller with some creepy tones and no real big surprise. The story is well written and even without that throat punch a lot of people expect from thrillers these days, it still makes an impact. I felt this was a bit more character driven and I did feel for a certain two of them. I just wanted a little bit more bite that I felt the ominous tone set at the beginning felt like it was promising.
★★★☆
Jessica's Review:
This was my introduction to Eric Rickstad – I have heard nothing but amazing things about his other books. Needless to say I was excited to get started. WHAT REMAINS OF HER did not disappoint!
What would you do if you woke up one day to find your spouse and child missing? Well, this is the new reality for Jonah Baum. His wife Rebecca and their daughter Sally are gone. What’s even more confusing is that there is no sign of kidnapping, murder, and no hard proof that Rebecca didn’t just up and leave their marriage.
Something isn’t quite right about the situation and they are determined to find them. As the investigation gains momentum, Jonah becomes a person of interest. What do the strange drawings that Sally left behind mean? What secrets is Jonah hiding? What did Sally and her friend, Lucinda, see in the woods that night?
This book really ramps up in suspense and intensity as the chapters go on. Rickstad does a great job sucking the reader in and keep your attention. If I wasn’t at my family reunion, then I would have finished this much sooner!
I give this 4/5 stars
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