Synopsis:
Everybody thought brilliant Cecily would leave dead-end Miller's Falls for something better. But a two-decades-old tragedy locks her in place. Few understand the fierce bond that Cecily and Amelia share with Hilary, who was assaulted one summer as the two other girls watched helplessly. It's a bond of love and guilt…and a desire for vengeance that cuts clear to the bone.
So Assistant DA Cecily Minos waits, eager to see the guy in her courtroom. When Amelia meets a man who has the tattoo the girls remember seeing that day, they think they've finally caught a break. But the police refuse to reopen the case, and it's up to Cecily and Amelia to pursue their suspect.
Their investigation soon uncovers secrets best left buried. But the law is slow, and they've waited long enough for revenge…
Excerpt:
My lungs were tight as fists and the voice inside my head said run, but my legs couldn’t be trusted. Standing up wouldn’t have gotten me out of there, it would only have drawn attention to the pee that was warm in my shorts and it might have gotten Hilary killed if he was serious about running that blade across her neck.
All of a sudden the man stood and keeping his back to us, lowered the kerchief and put a cigarette in his mouth. Hilary never moved though I saw her blink. She was looking at something far away like she was somewhere else entirely and I hoped that that was true so she wouldn’t have to know what happened. He pulled his baseball hat low over his face the same way it’d been when we first climbed into the railcar and without ever looking at us he jumped to the ground and walked away.
“Stay here,” I’d told Amelia, though I knew she wasn’t going anywhere.
And I ran.
I ran faster than I’d ever run not even caring about the pee burning the inside of my legs. I’d taken the woods instead of the path, running in the opposite direction from the way he’d gone. My legs were scraped and bleeding by the time I’d reached the road and the stitch in my side had made it almost impossible to breath, but I just kept thinking of Hilary laying there and I couldn’t stop until I was pulling open my own back door.
I ran into the kitchen and through the house until I found my mother kneeling beside her bed, rosary beads draped around her prayerful hands like a spider web. I stood in the doorway and looked at her, imagined wrapping my arms around her neck and her drawing me in, holding me. I imagined feeling safe. She glanced at me standing there then dismissed me with a nod of her head, knee deep in Jesus. I turned and ran for the telephone.
And I ran.
I ran faster than I’d ever run not even caring about the pee burning the inside of my legs. I’d taken the woods instead of the path, running in the opposite direction from the way he’d gone. My legs were scraped and bleeding by the time I’d reached the road and the stitch in my side had made it almost impossible to breath, but I just kept thinking of Hilary laying there and I couldn’t stop until I was pulling open my own back door.
I ran into the kitchen and through the house until I found my mother kneeling beside her bed, rosary beads draped around her prayerful hands like a spider web. I stood in the doorway and looked at her, imagined wrapping my arms around her neck and her drawing me in, holding me. I imagined feeling safe. She glanced at me standing there then dismissed me with a nod of her head, knee deep in Jesus. I turned and ran for the telephone.
Review:
This book had me from the beginning! I literally could NOT put the book down once I started! the tale has so many twists and turns, that you will be breathless from keeping up and figuring it out! How the 2 girls' childhood trauma has affected them as they became women is understandable, but the nuances that the author lets the reader see are intriguing and captivating. The end is not so much of a shocker, as 1 of the 2 ways the reader thinks it will end. I would love to read a followup book featuring Cecily in her new job, and having characters from this book return as well!
This book had me from the beginning! I literally could NOT put the book down once I started! the tale has so many twists and turns, that you will be breathless from keeping up and figuring it out! How the 2 girls' childhood trauma has affected them as they became women is understandable, but the nuances that the author lets the reader see are intriguing and captivating. The end is not so much of a shocker, as 1 of the 2 ways the reader thinks it will end. I would love to read a followup book featuring Cecily in her new job, and having characters from this book return as well!
About the Author:
Patricia Hale is a graduate of the MFA program at Goddard College in Vermont. She is a member of Sister’s in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, NH Writer’s Project and Maine Writer’s and Publisher’s Alliance. Her essays and articles have appeared in New England literary magazines and the anthology, My Heart’s First Steps. When not writing, she enjoys hiking with her dogs and kayaking on the lakes near her home. Patricia lives in New Hampshire with her husband and two German shepherds. Check her out on the web, Twitter and Facebook.
Ready to win your own copy of this ebook?
Be sure to check out the rest of the tour for more reviews and giveaways1
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks for reading this post and entering the giveaway!
Patricia Hale is a graduate of the MFA program at Goddard College in Vermont. She is a member of Sister’s in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, NH Writer’s Project and Maine Writer’s and Publisher’s Alliance. Her essays and articles have appeared in New England literary magazines and the anthology, My Heart’s First Steps. When not writing, she enjoys hiking with her dogs and kayaking on the lakes near her home. Patricia lives in New Hampshire with her husband and two German shepherds. Check her out on the web, Twitter and Facebook.
Ready to win your own copy of this ebook?
Be sure to check out the rest of the tour for more reviews and giveaways1
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks for reading this post and entering the giveaway!
Definitely sounds like a page turner! Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this book. Great review!
ReplyDeleteThank you for reviewing my new release, In the Shadow of Revenge. So glad you liked the characters. I'm continuing the series with Cecily in her new role as a PI and Nick's partner.
ReplyDelete