From the day her five-year-old was abducted, Abigail Fisher vowed never to stop looking until her daughter was safely back home. But despite multiple searches, twenty-three years have passed without a trace of Becky Ann. When Abigail learns that death row inmate Megan Winnaker is the same age as her daughter, she begins to wonder if the kidnapper had Becky’s Ann’s face surgically altered to … altered to prevent identification.
Megan Winnaker maintains her innocence, but faces capital punishment if she loses her final appeal. As Abigail launches her own investigation to find out if Megan is truly her daughter, someone wants to stop her in her tracks.
Even when facing mortal danger, Abigail refuses to give up her investigation. But can Megan Winnaker really be her long-lost daughter?
more
Why This Book
After reading a few light-hearted mysteries and non-fiction books, I was in need of a strong thriller and suspense novel. I had Mary Deal’s Down to the Needle in my Kindle downloaded book list, as it was recommended by a friend. I flipped through the summary and overview, which convinced me to give it a try last week; I’m quite glad I did.
Plot, Characters & Setting
There are several plot lines in this book, but they weave together in multiple ways in a typical small American town called Seaport. The book kicks off with Abi and Joe, mid-40s to early 50s, covering a string of fires occurring across the city. We learn that Abi has been searching for her daughter, whom her husband had kidnapped nearly twenty-three years ago. Joe stumbles onto an ex who disappeared many years ago, but they’ve found solace in one another as he makes plans to get her off the street. Abi and Joe have their own separate careers and homes, but they consider the possibility of future marriage, assuming Abi can find out if her husband is dead or find a way to divorce him. News outlets are covering the upcoming execution of a young inmate named Megan, who was accused of torching a house eight-years earlier that killed a man’s wife and children. Then Abi finds a few clues which lead them to believe Megan could be her long-lost daughter. The book navigates the path they each take separately, and together, to find their pasts, as well as determine if they can build a future together. New eye-witnesses to the fires step forward and more fires occur. A lead on Abi’s missing daughter unfolds and the discovery of what really happened to Joe’s ex take center stage during this journey — all ending with some happy, bittersweet and sad news. Let’s just say… ‘Down to the Needle’ is the perfect title for many reasons.
Approach & Style
I read the 381-page novel on my iPad through Kindle Reader. It took about 5 hours over a few days; there are 62 chapters, each fairly short and easy to digest. The story is told in third-person POV with a perspective mostly focused on Abi and Joe. The setting is vividly described, bringing a clear picture of everything, including fires, character expressions and thoughts, homeless conditions, prisons and medical illnesses.
Key Thoughts
One of the best things I enjoyed about this book is the approach Deal takes in evolving the entire story. There are tons of facts and background information that need to be revealed, but it’s moderately paced and deliberately methodical, to the point where you find your eyes bulging as you get a tad frustrated because you can’t wait to see what comes next. It’s full of suspense, keeping you hanging many times – and then a curve ball comes out of nowhere, in a very almost nonchalant way – it shocks you had some of these things just pop up in a realistic way. Some may find that style hard to digest at first, but once you realize you’re on this wild ride, and you really won’t know what will be thrown at you next, you just dive in to see what happens to the hero and heroine(s) in the story – there may be a few heroines, I can’t decide how I feel! You desperately want Abi to find her daughter, have absolutely no belief/trust that Megan could possibly be her daughter, and then you get happily slammed with something that makes you change your mind, over and over again. It’s great… and when you finally learn all that happened, it’s a brilliant evolution and clearly shows the art of a slow-burning build before the fire pops. Deal has strong skills in this area. The story has a little bit of everything and every genre. It is never boring; a few times, you might wonder where it’s going, but you hang on tightly because you know the author has a plan in mind on how to connect it together. It won’t let you down… to the needle.
Summary
Mary Deal is an excellent writer, and I am very glad I read this book. I will pick up a copy of her latest novel, The Ka, in the next few months. I enjoy her character development, complex plots, methodical approach to laying out the setting and descriptions, and ability to weave in just enough confusion and red herrings to keep the pages constantly turning. Kudos!
This has been a real rollercoaster of a ride! Deal has created the perfect balance between thriller & mystery in this wonderful tale, her attention to detail ensuring that relationships ring true & each scene is described in vivid detail. When we first meet Abi & Joe their relationship is strong, yet the possibility of a death row inmate being Abi’s long lost daughter puts strain on the couple, which is tested even more by a ghostly figure from Joe’s own past. I think I’ve been through every emotion possible during this read, the sign of a story well crafted.
What a perfect title for this suspense filled novel. There’s Abi with her heart problem searching for her daughter that was abducted when she was but five. Abi’s love life, Joe, a photographer, is in a struggle of his own as a former love has been found without her memories in a homeless camp. The news is all about a convicted young, female arsonist named Megan who was found guilty of murder and her case before the Supreme Court. Joe shows Abi the art work Megan did as child when she was here searching for memories. Abi is stunned these look like the artwork of her own daughter—and so the search begins. Is Megan her daughter? Was she falsely identified as she claims? The man that identified her is now legally blind. Abi will finance an expensive operation for him and then he disappears. Arson hits Abi’s house. Is it just a coincidence or is someone after her? Joe’s detective friend thinks Megan is innocent and brings in a young lawyer that concurs. Abi pays for him also. She pushes for a DNA test when Megan sing the name of Becky’s daughter. Then they realize the blood for the DNA was tampered with and the question still remains as the time for the execution draws closer and closer. I would live to write more about this wonderful page turning story, but refuse to be a spoiler. Will the arsonist of years ago turn out to be Megan? But who is the arsonist of today? Trust me, this story really does go down to the needle.
Multiple characters, multiple motivations, multiple mysteries; Deal deftly juggles all in this spellbinding thriller.
Abi, a woman with a heart condition, has been searching over twenty years for her daughter Becky, abducted as a child by her estranged husband. Her boyfriend Joe, has been carrying a torch for a woman who left him years ago then disappeared. Deal builds these characters and their relationship from the ground up, fashioning realistic, believable, living, breathing, individuals.
The arrival in town of a homeless woman together with the conviction and looming execution of another woman for arson and murder, sets off a chain of events that cascades and blossoms into a multitude of possibilities involving a wide variety of well-drawn characters ranging from a determined police detective to gang bangers, to neo Nazis.
An exciting tale filled with twists and turns well worth the read.
Abigail Fisher has spent her life searching for her daughter Becky who was abducted at the tender age of five years old by her ex-husband and never seen again. While working with her boyfriend, Joe, she becomes aware of a young woman on death row who has been convicted of murder and arson. After following the story and linking several similarities between this woman and her long lost daughter, Abigail dares to think that she may have found her lost child.
This is a nail-biting read, with more ups and downs, twists and turns than a roller coaster. I don’t want to give away any spoilers so let’s just say that everyone Abigail tries to help seems to use her for their own devices. As the days tick away and time runs out, the nailbiting finale made this book unputdownable!
Read this book. You won’t be disappointed!
Wow!
A great well written story with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing until the end! This book is highly recommended for everyone who loves a thriller!
Lots of interesting characters, but introduced at a leisurely pace so it’s not difficult to keep track of them.
A page-turner indeed!