TITLE: The Sea of Lost Girls
AUTHOR: Carol Goodman
PUBLISHER: Harper Audo
PUB. YEAR: 2020
Setting: Maine
Format: audio/library download
Rating - 3.5/5
Tess Henshaw is a woman with secrets. She's married to Harmon, a professor at The Haywood Academy, an elite boarding school in Maine. Tess also works at the school.
As the story begins Tess receives a middle of the night call from her 17 year old troubled son from a previous marriage. Rudy is scared and asks his mother to meet him at their secret "safe space." When the two connect, Rudy is soaking wet and has a dark stain on his sweatshirt. Several hours later they learn that Lila, Rudy's girlfriend, has been found dead on the beach.
This is a story with more than one suspect and an unreliable narrator. Although the story kept me guessing, I thought there were too many characters, many women who had been taken advantage of by powerful men. As psychological thrillers go, this one was just okay. The audio version was narrated by Natalie Naudus, who did a good job.
It sounds a wee bit not exciting!
ReplyDeleteI am getting pretty fed up with "weak" female characters in books. Even the strong ones seem to give in to men and allow themselves to be pushed around. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteToo bad this one was a bit disappointing. Oh, well, better luck with the next one.
ReplyDeleteDiane, thank you for your honest review of this thriller.
ReplyDeleteSo they had a secret "safe space." That tells me more about the characters and the plot already than I think I want to read. Think I'll pass on this one.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read Goodman in years, but I really liked her first books. I dislike the theme of women dominated by powerful men and wonder about its appeal. Usually, the desire to shake some sense into the victims and muttering advice are part of reading this trope. :o
ReplyDeleteYears ago I fell in love with her first book The Lake of Dead Languages. I've read every book she's written since then, and while I mostly like them, I don't think any of them has lived up to the first one I read.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the warning. Too many good books to little time to read them all.
ReplyDeleteI am all for simple story telling these days. Too many characters when not needed is a drag and a waste of my time.
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