Review : Where They Found Her by Kimberly McCreight

Posted by on July 9, 2015 12:52 am in 3.5 stars reads | 6 comments

where they found herWhere They Found Her by Kimberly McCreight
Pages : 336
Genre : Mystery
Stand alone
My Rating : 3.5/5

About the Book  :

At the end of a long winter, in bucolic Ridgedale, New Jersey, the body of an infant is discovered in the woods near the town’s prestigious university campus. No one knows who the baby is, or how her body ended up out there. But there is no shortage of opinions.

When freelance journalist, and recent Ridgedale transplant, Molly Anderson is unexpectedly called upon to cover the story for the Ridegdale Reader, it’s a risk, given the severe depression that followed the loss of her own baby. But the bigger threat comes when Molly unearths some of Ridgedale’s darkest secrets, including a string of unreported sexual assaults that goes back twenty years. 

My Thoughts :

A little over a year ago, I read and really enjoyed Kimberly McCreight’s first novel, Reconstructing Amelia. So I was excited to get my hands on her most recent mystery.

Where They Found Her‘s story is told from the perspective of three female characters : mostly Molly’s, who is investigating the crime for a newspaper, but also housewife Barbara and troubled teen Sandy. I’ll say that while I enjoyed getting to know these three women, and appreciated how different their point of views were, I think the triple narrative is what made the book predictable. It’s almost unavoidable : you know there’s a reason the author chose to use three characters to narrate, so you try to find out why.

On the other hand, I found the narration to also be a strength of the book. The premise of the story is pretty basic when it comes to mystery novels, and yet, it’s one of the best psychological thrillers I have read this year (not that the competition is very fierce so far!) Its strength lies not in its suspense, really, but on the depth of its characters, and how the author explores their distinct lives and personalities. I thought all three women were interesting, and liked how complexe they were. Kimberly McCreight writes with as much talent and compassion the troubled teenager than she does the grieving mother, and I really appreciate that.

Aside from its predictability, the mystery was very good. It wasn’t too simple, and I thought it was also believable. I liked how Molly made false assumptions, how the answers weren’t always given freely to her. I also appreciated how the book included her newspaper articles, internet comments and more: it made the reading quick and really immersive.

All in all, I really enjoyed my time reading Where They Found Her, and I find myself looking forward to reading more from the author!

6 Comments

  1. I liked Reconstructing Amelia too so I’m glad to see you enjoyed this one. I look forward to reading it.

    • If you enjoyed her first novel, I think there are chances you’ll enjoy this too!

  2. I have this one on my list of review copies that I need. I listened to her first novel and am curious to find out whether her stories are better in print than they are as an audiobook. Thanks for the warning on the predictability. Now, I won’t be so bummed when I figure out the ending in advance.

    • I’ll be curious to hear your thoughts on it once you get to it! I think it’s a good book, and maybe you won’t find it as predictable as I did. I still enjoyed how it unfolded very much!

  3. So…I was sort of on the fence about Reconstructing Amelia, but this one does sound fascinating. I think I might pick it up.

    • I’d be very curious to hear your thoughts on this one! I really liked the psychological/human aspect of it, even though the mystery was predictable.

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