The Good Girl by Mary Kubica – 352 pages
Book Blurb:
Born to a prominent Chicago judge and his stifled socialite wife, Mia Dennett moves against the grain as a young inner-city art teacher. One night, Mia enters a bar to meet her on-again, off-again boyfriend. But when he doesn’t show, she unwisely leaves with an enigmatic stranger. With his smooth moves and modest wit, at first Colin Thatcher seems like a safe one-night stand. But following Colin home will turn out to be the worst mistake of Mia’s life.
Colin’s job was to abduct Mia as part of a wild extortion plot and deliver her to his employers. But the plan takes an unexpected turn when Colin suddenly decides to hide Mia in a secluded cabin in rural Minnesota, evading the police and his deadly superiors. Mia’s mother, Eve, and detective Gabe Hoffman will stop at nothing to find them, but no one could have predicted the emotional entanglements that eventually cause this family’s world to shatter.
My Review: 3.5 stars
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This book and thriller of a story takes place in the city of Chicago and the suburbs that surround it. I love when I know the streets and places an author refers too when writing about a locale I know intimately. I’m certain I would’ve reacted more favorably to this book had it not been sold to me as the next Gone Girl. I considered that more of a psychological thriller, while this is more of a mystery with a thrilling ending. And therein is the reason why this review gets 3.5 stars. The writing was solid, the characters summed up nicely and background information was shared to create a good sense of place and time and that was about it. The mystery was ever present but took a back seat until the very end of the book. Ever since I read Bel Canto, I’ve had interest in Stockholm syndrome, which was portrayed very realistically in this book. The mystery genre is the hardest for me to review, because I feel just about anything I say could ruin for the reader. I do suggest this book to all readers, especially those who like a good twist!
Quotes I Liked:
Teenagers, by definition, are in a class all of their own. They give in to peer pressure. They defy their parents. They talk back, and experiment with anything and everything they can get their hands on. The goal with teenagers is simply getting through it alive, with out personal damage.”
-“The grocery stores have run out of bottled water as people prepare to take shelter in their homes; my G-d, I think, it’s winter, an annual certainty, not the atomic bomb.”
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I loved the book! The first thing I did after reading it was run to your site to read your review. I did briefly think of Gone Girl but I think that was just because of the title. I loved how each chapter was written by the different characters. I am impressed that this was Mary Kubica’s first novel. I can’t wait to read more from this author.
BTW: Happy New Year!!
Sue, So good to hear from you! I did really like it but the heavy pre-release advertising mentioned it was the “NEXT” Gone Girl so I had a hard time separating the two. Happy New Year and Happy Reading!
L