Synopsis: It’s been ten years since Nicolette Farrell left her rural hometown after her best friend, Corinne, disappeared from Cooley Ridge without a trace. Back again to tie up loose ends and care for her ailing father, Nic is soon plunged into a shocking drama that reawakens Corinne’s case and breaks open old wounds long since stitched.
The decade-old investigation focused on Nic, her brother Daniel, boyfriend Tyler, and Corinne’s boyfriend Jackson. Since then, only Nic has left Cooley Ridge. Daniel and his wife, Laura, are expecting a baby; Jackson works at the town bar; and Tyler is dating Annaleise Carter, Nic’s younger neighbor and the group’s alibi the night Corinne disappeared. Then, within days of Nic’s return, Annaleise goes missing.
Told backwards—Day 15 to Day 1—from the time Annaleise goes missing, Nic works to unravel the truth about her younger neighbor’s disappearance, revealing shocking truths about her friends, her family, and what really happened to Corinne that night ten years ago.
Review: It’s always interesting to find a good thriller and I admit that the synopsis of this one really intrigued me. I’m not used to novels realized in such a format, that is to say made from the end and going up day by day to the start. It’s quite unsettling and I have to say that it’s frustrating not to have the answers in one go but it returns slowly day by day to the first one and I can tell you that it is long enough to follow 15 days like that.
We discover at the beginning of the novel, Nic, a young woman about to get married and who returns home to help her brother with their sick father and the sale of the house. Yet she thought it would be something simple but it’s not really the case. Indeed, it’s been 10 years since her best friend Corinne disappeared without a trace and it is now the turn of Annaleise, a village girl who served as an alibi for the group there so many years ago to disappear. This new event will reopen deep wounds that were left and this time, Nic is determined to understand what happened and where Annaleise is actually located, and at the same time to understand what happened to her friend after all this time.
The story begins with the arrival of Nic in town, then quickly continues on day 15, the day the police went to her home when her ex Tyler, looks muddy explaining that a body was found. From there, the days will pass, going up slowly and following our heroine trying to understand what is happening, questioning people about the two young women to discover the truth. But her search will lead her much farther than expected and as I said, it’s pretty frustrating to go day by day, especially knowing what happens in the end. It’s not going fast enough it’s true but I think it is also what the author wanted to show and I admit that I waited impatiently to read the events. We feel that something strange happened about Corinne, but I definitely did not expect so many revelations and it is true that the author takes us completely by surprise.
I sometimes had trouble with this format but it’s true that in the end I found that the revelations were well found and we remain very anxious to understand what is really going on. A pretty original idea.
kindlemom1
I’m all for originality! Great review!
Melliane
right?
LilyElement Book Reviews
Oooh were you able to guess the villain while reading? Or was it a surprise? 🙂
Melliane
no I wasn’t
Jenny @ Supernatural Snark
I’m kind of intrigued by this format, it sounds like it would make me ask lots of questions and experience the good kind of frustration when I have to wait a bit for the answers! Might take a little while to settle into though, so thanks for the heads up!
Melliane
my pleasure
Keertana @ Ivy Book Bindings
Ooh, I both love and hate these kinds of stories since I’m so impatient for answers. But this cover is gorgeous and I’m definitely intrigued by this set-up so thanks for putting this on my radar, dear! 🙂
Melliane
yeah me too, I’m so not patient
kimbacaffeinate
I will be reviewing this on audio and will be curious to see what I think. Great review my friend!
Melliane
me too
Maja (The Nocturnal Library)
I haven’t had much luck with her previous books, to be honest, but I’m very curious about a book that basically goes backwards. Wonderful review!
Melliane
it was my first one
blodeuedd
Hmmm, I wonder about the format
Melissa (Books and Things)
Oh sounds like it worked despite the format. An unusual format actually intrigues me and it will either work wonderfully or fail spectacularly. Brilly review. You have me curious.
Melliane
it’s just frustrating
Braine
Okay, reading this next. I can’t shake off thrillers and mysteries so far
ShootingStarsMag
Thanks for sharing. Sorry the format didn’t always work for you, but it sounds like a fairly well done thriller!
Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum
I received this book in the mail this week. It was a surprise arrival so initially I thought I probably won’t have time to get to it, but the more I hear about it the more curious I actually am. I can see the backwards format being really difficult but it did intrigue me, let’s hope it works out better for me.
Melliane
I hope so too
Lola (Hit or Miss Books)
Ooh thriller!! Exciting!! I’ll put this one on my TBR 🙂
Joy // Joyousreads
I’ve been so curious about this book ever since I’ve seen it cropped up all over the place. The mystery is quite intriguing.
Joy // Joyousreads
Oh, man. I was so looking forward to reading this, but I’m afraid I’m going to get impatient as well.
Carole Rae
Mhmmm a rough format can make it hard to read.
anna@herding cats & burning soup
The title and cover definitely catch my attention. Missing cases are one of those horrifyingly fascinating things to me.