Missing persons and dark family secrets: three intriguing mysteries from authors new to me

 

KNIFE RIVER by Justine Champine

 

The loss of a parent is always a terrible thing, but for Jess and her sister Liz the grief is compounded by uncertainty. On one hand they agree that their mother would never have just walked out on them when they were teenagers, on the other hand there has never been a body to bury or the chance to put their questions to rest. Whilst Liz has remained at home in their small country town, waiting for their mother to reappear and living the life of a recluse, Jess has jumped from relationship to relationship to fill the hole in her heart her mother has left behind. It almost comes as a relief when some bones are uncovered in a nearby forest. Perhaps the sisters will finally get some answers …

 

Champine does a great job in exploring the different manifestations of grief, right down to the sense of betrayal when a parent leaves us behind, no matter of the circumstances.  KNIFE RIVER is slow and character driven, full of emotions and atmosphere and the musings of two young women whose lives have been shaped by a terrible loss. Having experienced the death of a parent at a young age myself, there was a lot that resonated for me and validated some of my own experiences, especially the different ways the sisters act out their grief. I found both Jess and Liz believable and relatable, which made KNIFE RIVER a positive reading experience, despite its rather glum subject matter. And whilst unravelling the mystery seemed almost an afterthought, I was blown away by the final reveal, which came as a shock to say the least. No, KNIFE RIVER is not an uplifting book, but it is full of emotional weight and insight into the different manifestations of grief, which I found strangely cathartic. There was a lot of food for thought here, which made me think about the book long after I had finished reading.

 

 

THE RETURN OF ELLIE BLACK by Emiko Jean

 

Books about abduction and being held captive don’t always work well for me, so I was a bit hesitant when I first came across the premise of THE RETURN OF ELLIE BLACK. However, it came highly recommended from other readers with similar tastes to mine, so I decided to give it a go – and I’m glad I did! Not only did this book turn into a highly suspenseful mystery, but it also served me up a twist I definitely did not see coming.

 

I loved Detective Chelsey Calhoun’s character. Adopted at birth, her Asian background has always made her stand out in their small community, which perhaps has made her more determined to solve cases where others may have given up long ago. Chelsey also has a deeply personal reason to succeed in her career – not only does she want to make her beloved late father proud, but she also carries the legacy of her sister’s tragic death at the hands of her boyfriend when Chelsea was a child. When Ellie Black reappears in the woods after a two year absence, Chelsea is surprised at the girl’s reluctance to help police catch her abductor.

 

THE RETURN OF ELLIE BLACK features many themes I love in a mystery. The small-town setting, family secrets and loyalties, and tragedies that shape people’s future all made for well-rounded, intriguing characters here. I was extremely happy to be led in a completely different direction from your average abduction story and really enjoyed the unravelling of this clever mystery. If you like reading mysteries that break the mould and defy stereotypes, then this one is definitely for you!

 

 

HOME IS WHERE THE BODIES ARE by Jeneva Rose

 

Losing a parent is difficult enough, but when you find out a deep dark family secret when sorting out your mother’s things, it can complicate things even further. In HOME IS WHERE THE BODIES ARE, three estranged siblings meet in their old family home to put their mother to rest. Beth, the oldest, is the one who looked after her sick mother and held her hand as she passed. Admittedly, she feels resentful of her successful brother Michael and her drug addicted sister Nicole, who have left the difficult work of caring for their mother to her. There are a lot of complicated dynamics between the three siblings who over the years have become estranged, each wrapped up in his and her own lives and problems. Sorting out the estate was never going to be an easy task, with so many different emotions and agendas at play. It all takes a sinister turn when the three siblings sit down to watch an old family movie on the DHS player – the summer of 1999, an innocent time in all their memories. The recording shows their parents next to the body of a neighbour’s child, who went missing around that time. Then the tape goes blank. Gobsmacked, the siblings can’t agree on where to go from here. Show the tape to authorities to reopen the missing persons case, but potentially face their parents being accused of murder? Forget that they ever saw the tape? Try and investigate on their own?

 

HOME IS WHERE THE BODIES ARE explores a unique and troubling dilemma, enhanced by the dynamics between the very different three siblings. As we get to know each of them a bit better and understand what drives their decisions, the mystery takes an even more complex turn. I loved the way the author slowly unravelled this very dark family mystery, bringing each character into their own. This was like slowly peeling away the layers of an onion, exposing the rotten core inside. Is anything the siblings have accepted as truth about their childhood really a lie? Each of them have slightly different memories of that time, which is fascinating and adds depth to the story. Admittedly, the ending didn’t come as a surprise to me, but I read a lot of mysteries. This did not take away my reading enjoyment, however, and I appreciated how the author wrapped up the loose threads at the end. An intriguing character study wrapped in the burrito of an old missing person’s case.