The One I Left Behind by Jennifer McMahon
Publisher: William Morrow
Pages: 432
Format: eARC
Buy the Book: Amazon
Goodreads: The summer of 1985 changed Reggie's life. Thirteen, awkward, and without a father, she finds herself mixed up with her school's outcasts-Charlie, the local detective's son, and Tara, a goth kid who has a mental hold over Reggie and harbors a dark secret. That same summer a serial killer called Neptune begins kidnapping women. He leaves their severed hands on the police department steps and, five days later, displays their bodies around town. Just when Reggie needs her mother Vera-an ex-model with many "boyfriends" and a thirst for gin-the most, Vera's hand is found on the steps. But after five days, there's no body and Neptune disappears.
Now a successful architect who left her hometown behind after that horrific summer, Reggie doesn't trust anyone and lives with few attachments. But when she gets a call from a homeless shelter saying that her mother has been found alive, Reggie must confront the ghosts of her past and find Neptune before he kills again.
Kritters Thoughts: I always love a who dun it, especially when it combines a past plotline with a current plotline, but this book went a little too much overboard. There were a few elements that maybe took the story a little too far and towards the end there were too many possible suspects. A wonderful addition between the two plotlines was excerpts of an investigative book which provided the readers with details of the killings that maybe the main character or other characters couldn't provide - this added so much to the story.
Reggie was a fantastic main character with issues that were both present in the childhood plotline and the current plotline. I loved how these two plotlines grew perpendicularly and then collided and then grew together, that part of the book was amazing. Her relationships with her friends, family and potential mate were great, I think she stayed a true character and I didn't find issues between the two stories.
My main complaint was the overabundance of suspects. Towards the end, I was ready for the killer to be revealed and how they had covered up their path over the many years. Once I found out the clues and thought it was one person, Reggie took us on a path to another possible suspect - I just wanted to know!
I think most readers of who dun its would enjoy this book, you just may need a little patience with it towards the end.
Rating: enjoyable, but didn't leave me wanting more
Ebook 2012 Challenge: 84 out of 25
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one copy of this book free of charge from TLC Book Tours. I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Here's the tour schedule:
Wednesday, January 2nd: Tiffany’s Bookshelf
Thursday, January 3rd: Lit and Life
Friday, January 4th: A Reader of Fictions
Monday, January 7th: Reflections of a Bookaholic
Wednesday, January 9th: No More Grumpy Bookseller
Thursday, January 10th: Kritters Ramblings
Monday, January 14th: Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile
Tuesday, January 15th: Book Reviews by Molly
Thursday, January 17th: EmSun
Tuesday, January 22nd: Booked on a Feeling
Wednesday, January 30th: Luxury Reading
Thanks for being a part of the tour!
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