“…[A] brilliantly constructed novel…Kirk draws the reader into a fascinating world of shifting truths whose details are by turns grotesque, funny, creepy, thoughtful, and exhilarating.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)The new tenants have a terrible secret. So do the landlord and his daughter… mother. She’s never understood the reason for a lifetime of paranoia, aliases, and lies. All she understands are the rules: never lock eyes with strangers, never let down your guard, and always be ready to move on.
Finally, after thirteen years and eleven states, their next hideaway seems perfect. An isolated, fortresslike place in the New Hampshire woods is the new home they share with its owner, a gentlemanly pianist, and his lonely daughter, Gretchen. She’s Lucy’s age and soon becomes Lucy’s first real friend.
But Gretchen and her father have secrets of their own—and an obsession with puzzles that draws Lucy into a terrifying new game of hide-and-seek. Lucy’s dark past is about to come calling. And this time, for her and her mother in the house on the hill, it might be too late to run.
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I’m so glad I read this during the daytime, when the sun was shining and I was in a plane full of people… Five terrifying stars.
Gretchen terrified me, made me laugh, made my jaw hit the floor… I had to wonder what kind of sorceress Kirk is, to have wormed her way into my brain and then written exactly the kind of story that makes me jump out of my skin and burns its way into my memory. The best kind.
Shannon Kirk is known for her complex, layered portrayals of strong women of all ages, and her latest does not disappoint. Creepy, haunting, and beautifully told in Kirk’s signature lyrical prose, Gretchen is a blend of the best of thriller and horror. This is Kirk’s most masterful storytelling yet.
Gretchen by Shannon Kirk is a psychological thriller that weaves in elements of a thriller in this suspenseful telling. A 16 year old girl and her mother, on the run since she was two, have a strange encounter with new landlords that changes the path of their lives. It’s a high octane ride.
Action packed read that kept me on the edge of my seat and many times left me wonder “wait what just happened”?!? The author did an amazing job at weaving the multiple points of view and the past with the present to create on thrilling ride, full of amazing characters. Lucy will steal your heart, Mag will kick your butt and Gretchen will haunt your dreams! Such an amazing read!
So so scary good. I love not knowing what’s going to happen, and having the story unspooled one creepy fact at a time! PS – too scary to read at night for me…:)
Gretchen is a thriller that will also appeal to lovers of horror. It’s told primarily from the point of view of Lucy, a teen who has spent her life on the run with her mother. Lucy has always been resigned to her fate – changing states, changing schools, keeping secrets – but now she’s beginning to rebel. As the book begins, Lucy and her mother relocate to house in the country outside a small town. Their new landlord, a concert pianist, and his daughter, Gretchen, welcome them, and despite their eccentricities, Lucy wants to stay. From there, the eccentricities and Lucy’s discomfort grow, and the story – a fascinating mystery – unfolds. The pages of this tight and twisted tale flew by – I could hardly turn them fast enough. Highly recommended.
This is told in three parts with alternating views. The book starts out with Lucy. Lucy is fifteen and mentions that she is living in her tenth state and it’s her third high school she’s attended. Her companion is Allen, a cat. Lucy talks about how anytime someone seems to react as if they know either her or her mom, Susan, then off to another state they go. Susan forces her to wear tinted contacts. Susan has mentioned that Lucy’s father is powerful and from a foreign country where women are not treated well, so in order to evade her unnamed father, they are constantly on the move. Just as Lucy is getting comfortable and has a friend, things quickly take a turn. On a rare occasion, Lucy’s mom decides they can go get ice cream. It’s rare because they are not seen in public together. As Lucy sits on a bench, a man playing Frisbee with his son, suddenly turns his attention on Lucy because he thinks he recognizes her.
Just like that, they are on their way to the eleventh state. Susan has scoped out a rental. Lucy immediately falls in love with the place. When the owners introduce themselves, Susan, reacts strangely to the owner’s daughter, Gretchen. While Susan wants to back out, Lucy demands to stay.
It is here that Lucy begins to assert her independence and begins to hide things from her mother. They have a pack that if anyone begins to notice them, they will tell the other so once again they’ll be on the road. Lucy is allowed to get a job and works as a cashier. Even though, Gretchen is odd, Lucy feels a kinship because she knows what it’s like not having any friends. She soon has to set up strict boundaries because Gretchen keeps popping up everywhere.
Part 2 introduces Mag, who stayed at the Triple C resort, and has gone from being a camper to working at the Activity Center during the summers. The rest of the year, she drives around the country in her camper. Cord, who works at the Triple C as the recreation director, has been like a father to Mag. He wants her to go to Italy with him for a new job. Their history goes back to when Mag was a little girl, and has been a father figure to her. Mag had hooked up with a guy named Paul, who mistreats her and is run off by Cord.
Part 3 provides the backstory behind all the characters and the dynamics surrounding them all. Secrets will be exposed, and lies uncovered. The enduring love of a mother, who will go to any lengths.
This was an amazing read! I started reading this thinking the topic was about one thing and quickly being surprised about an added twist after twist. Love can drive people to do many things. If you enjoy thrillers, I highly recommend this book!
I received an ARC from NetGalley via Thomas & Mercer and have voluntarily reviewed this book.
Who are You? Why are you running—13 years, 11 states, and counting? Why does your mother have so many tightly-guarded secrets? Who, or what, is she afraid of? Is this idyllic New Hampshire farm the settling place she has been seeking? Where running is no longer needed? Or is it something else entirely? These and many other questions are what vex Lucy as her mother whips her from place to place with life-or-death urgency. Truth and trust become shifting commodities. But are their new landlords—the concert pianist father and the puzzle-addicted daughter Gretchen—their final protectors? Have Lucy and her mother finally reached their safe place? Or have they stumbled into a living nightmare?
This story is so complex and convoluted, it will keep you guessing who is who and what is what from the beginning until the amazing climax. The writing is wonderful, the characters quirky and then some, and the tension thick. Just wow.
DP Lyle, award-winning author of the Jake Longly and Cain/Harper thriller series
Spine-tingling and deliciously creepy, Shannon Kirk’s Gretchen has a way of getting into your head, making you frantically turn the pages to find out what she’ll do next, and who she’ll let live. Even if you’re a master at expecting the unexpected, you might want to read with the lights on.
I read this book in an afternoon/evening as I couldn’t put it down! It has so much going on and I didn’t guess any of it!! Lucy and her mom move around a lot. Their latest move is to New Hampshire and there they meet Gretchen and her dad. Lucy and her mom know something just isn’t right but they stay anyways. What happens next is a great psychological thriller! I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.
Spine-tingling and deliciously creepy, Shannon Kirk’s GRETCHEN has a way of getting into your head, making you frantically turn the pages to find out what she’ll do next, and who she’ll let live. Even if you’re a master at expecting the unexpected, you might want to read with the lights on.
My Rating: ****
Type: Standalone
Genre: Thriller, Psychological Thriller
Narration: Dual POV
Primary Characters: Mother & Lucy
Source: Free in KU
This is my first book by this author, I have mixed feelings about this one. I’m not sure that I can say I enjoyed it, but I was certainly glued to my kindle to find out what the hell was going on, and then how it would all turn out.
Lucy is a fifteen-year-old girl who has been on the run with her mom for thirteen years. They run from a threat that her mother refuses to define, knowing only that her father will try to kidnap her if they ever let down their guard. While she does not know exactly why they are constantly running, she knows that she must never engage with strangers, always wear her coloured contacts, and be prepared in an instant to move to the next place.
In their 12th State Lucy and her mother have landed in a town that Lucy feels is perfect. She can see a future here. A chance to go to school and hold a job like a normal teenager. Their new home in New Hampshire is in the isolated woods on the outskirts of town. The landlord and his daughter live on the property in a house up the hill. The father is a pianist obsessed with wearing gloves to protect his hands. The daughter, Gretchen, is Lucy’s age and is obsessed with Puzzle. Lucy’s Mom senses red flags and wants to keep moving but Lucy rebels.
Lucy notices several weird things with Gretchen and her house and refuses to go to her house and meet in middle grounds to continue their friendship. what do you do when a girl like Gretchen wants to be your friend? What do you do when you’ve been on the run your entire life? What do you do when you don’t know who to trust? What do you do, when you don’t have any one to share anything and the only person you rely on is also lying to you and can’t trust them? Lucy is willing to look away from the flaws and fight for a place to call home, but is she denying too much of what is really happening around her?
Gretchen. What a strange little girl! She is beyond creepy/weird/intrusive. She always wears a same apple print dress and explains Lucy about that as below.
“Einstein and Steve jobs, and Obama too said that wearing the same outfit cuts down on decision fatigue. More brainpower for my puzzles and games and painting”
Gretchen’s all-out craziness did make for compelling reading, although I would’ve liked a bit more rationale for it. I loved Lucy’s character and the way she solved various problems. At some point I felt the detailed description of the Sabin’s Property was too much and plot was moving at slower pace. At around 70% of the book, it took a huge twist and felt like author rushed to complete a story and it was more of her warrior mom’s heroics. The whole thing became a little muddled at the end yet its unique story.
Gretchen is a crazy and intense thrill-ride. A kidnapping, a mother on the run, a psych child, a cult and a bad ass warrior mum, you have it all. Enjoy the ride.
meander23.wordpress.com/2020/01/31/review-gretchen-by-shannon-krik/
Wait! What?
I’m reading along, reading along, or in this case listening along, loving this story, loving Lucy and her relatable, perfectly snarky self when…
…WHAM.
Someone clearly, around the 75% mark, broke into Shannon Kirk’s house, tied her up, and finished this book for her.
Hopefully against her will.
This starts out with a paranoid mother and her teenage daughter on the run. The daughter has been told they are evading her violent father. The daughter longs to settle down so she can establish friendships. She’s also becoming a little suspicious and confused by her mother’s erratic behavior. Their newest hideout is in the back woods of New Hampshire, where they rent a house from a reclusive and eccentric concert pianist and his psychotic daughter, Gretchen. Gretchen happens to be obsessed with puzzles and bones. Their house is quite ominous, with creepy window revisions, forbidden rooms and walls plastered with puzzles. Everything about this father and daughter is dark and foreboding. Meanwhile, a woman, also named Gretchen, has been looking for her missing daughter. The suspense about what’s going on with the mothers and daughter, as well as what the landlord and his daughter are up to, keep the plot intriguing — until part two, where the story turns bizarre. Fortunately, the ending makes sense and ties the mess together again.
Lucy and her mother have been on the run all her life. It finally seems like they’ll get a chance to settle down. Lucy is enrolled in school and allowed to get a job. One thing is curious about their new home however. Their neighbors Jerry and his daughter, Gretchen, seem a little strange. Lucy begins to worry that maybe settling down here is not really all it’s cracked up to be. This story is insane. Gretchen gave me the heeby jeebies from the beginning. There are so many twists and turns that I wasn’t even sure what to think, I could not put this book down.