Author: Kimberly McCreight

Series: N/A (Stand Alone)

Publisher: Harper

Genre: Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Suspense

Release Date: April 14th 2015

Page Count: 336

Format: Paperback ARC provided by Publisher

ISBN: 9780062225467

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Author Website | Purchase on Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

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** This ARC was gifted to me by HarperCollins Canada as part of their newly re-launched program #HCCFirstLook in exchange for an honest review **

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Wow. This was really REALLY good. I love a good psychological thriller, especially when they are as well thought out and well written as Where They Found Her by Kimberly McCreight.

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Goodreads Synopsis: From the author of the New York Times bestseller and 2014 Edgar and Anthony nominee Reconstructing Amelia comes another harrowing, gripping novel that marries psychological suspense with an emotionally powerful story about a community struggling with the consequences of a devastating discovery. 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. Meanwhile, Sandy, a high school dropout, searches for her volatile and now missing mother, and PTA president Barbara struggles to help her young son, who’s suddenly having disturbing outbursts. Told from the perspectives of Molly, Barbara, and Sandy, Kimberly McCreight’s taut and profoundly moving novel unwinds the tangled truth about the baby’s death revealing that these three women have far more in common than they realized. And that their lives are more intertwined with what happened to the baby than they ever could have imagined.

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When I first read the synopsis for Where They Found Her, I was a little worried knowing that this novel was going to be told from three different points of view. I really do love when novels are written from multiple perspectives, especially within a psychological thriller, but three is a lot and can sometimes make the story hard to follow especially when the perspectives are alternating. At first I will admit, it was hard to keep track of all of the different characters within each perspective but once I started to realize how all of the stories were connected, it made it a lot easier to follow.

This story is so intricate in the way that all of the stories connect, which I believe must have taken a lot of thought and careful planning. Each story weaves together perfectly and the novel ended with a feeling of closure as nothing felt unfinished or forgotten. The writing style was fantastic and as much as I dislike comparing psychological thrillers to the writing of Gillian Flynn, this book was right up there with Gone Girl, Dark Places and Sharp Objects as one of my favourite dark and thrilling reads. I do truly believe that fans of Gillian Flynn will love Where They Found Her.

All of the characters were well thought out and their stories were carefully written. Each character had their own complicated stories to tell, but what was so amazing was the shocking way that they all connected. Molly is new to the town of Ridgedale and a reporter for the Ridgedale Reader. She is overcoming a personal tragedy all while reporting on the mysterious death of the baby. She’s new to reporting and starts out a little naive and nervous but grows throughout the novel as she continues following the mysterious story. Barbara is another mother in the area. She is a control freak and very intense. Out of all of the characters, she was the one I despised the most and who was driving me a little insane while reading from her perspective. Sandy is a young teenager who grew up in a broken home with a troublesome and unreliable mother. Despite her tough upbringing, she is smart and working on obtaining her GED. All of the puzzle pieces started to fit together as their stories went on. I went into this novel thinking I would get to play detective and try to figure out the mystery behind the body of the baby, and although I was trying to figure out the mystery throughout the entire novel I was also unexpectedly trying to figure out little mini mysteries within each character’s story. As always with a psychological thriller, I find myself making guesses and predictions, but I can honestly say that all of my guesses were completely wrong and in my opinion, that is what makes a suspenseful thriller successful.

Although this novel was dark and chilling, it was definitely a fun and thrilling read that kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. I have not read Kimberly McCreight’s other novel Reconstructing Amelia, but after enjoying Where They Found Her as much as I did, I will definitely be picking up a copy.