I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Since She Went Away by David Bell Published by NAL on June 21, 2016
Genres: Suspense, Thriller
Pages: 432
Format: Paperback
Source: the publisher
Three months ago, Jenna Barton was supposed to meet her best friend, Celia, for a girls night out. Yet when Jenna arrived, just a few minutes late, Celia wasn't at their meeting spot and hasn't been seen since.
The only evidence found was a single diamond earring, the news media quickly dubbing her the "The Diamond Mom."
Jenna's guilt has consumed her since that night. If she'd only been there on time, perhaps her best friend would still be there. Her guilt drives her to peruse message boards, constantly checking in with the investigation, hoping for a break in the case.
Meanwhile, her teenage son has a new girlfriend. Jenna swears she's seen the girl before, but where? When the girlfriend goes missing and Jenna's attention takes a detour, they are suddenly flooded with news that could affect Celia's case. It's all tied to lies, ones that start out simple and small but quickly mutate until they are out of control.
Talk about a thriller chock full of intensity, involving not one or two, but multiple unsolved crimes. Bell keeps the chapters short, alternating between Jenna and her son, Jared’s, point of view. Doing so adds to the tension, but also provides completely differing viewpoints of what transpires, two seemingly separate incidents that are actually connected. Clues and revelations are dolled out slowly, pulling the reader along to a somewhat startling conclusion.
I’d rather not delve too far into the specifics as, with many thrillers, I feel that readers should be able to discover them on their own. What I will say is that this is one of those “one sitting” books; you won’t be able to tear yourself away until you finish the last pages.
