At forty-five, Hannah Smith is at a crossroads. That’s her spin on it. The reality is she’s divorced, jobless, and moving back to her family home in Iowa to keep an eye on her mother, who’s slipping into dementia. Her return stirs up the same unnerving sense of disconnect Hannah has felt since childhood—always the odd girl out, the loner outshone by her two older sisters. Hannah knew the feelings … feelings of hurt would come back. But she never expected fear. Because when her mother looks into her eyes and whispers, “You’re not my daughter,” Hannah is beginning to believe it’s not just the rambling of a confused woman.
It’s the truth.
Now Hannah’s following the trail of a family mystery to the dark coast of Big Sur, where years ago a lie was born—and buried. As frightened as she is to unearth it, Hannah knows this is the last chance she has before her past—and all its terrible secrets—are lost forever.
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I’ve always been intrigued with stories of people tracking down biological parents and/or other relatives. This particular story had an interesting yet creepy twist to it that was intriguing enough to keep me interested enough to finish it. I’d give it 3.5stars if I could.
Half past, kind of my first read/listen from author Victoria Helen Stone. A captivating, enjoyable read. I was impressed and enjoyed the vocal talents of narrator Emily Sutton-Smith. I highly recommend to buy the book, read the books, get into a good author and some good characters as I have. I was given an Audible copy of this book & am voluntarily reviewing it. As to kind of my first read. I started listening to Evelyn After and my wife enjoyed that book so much that I have to listen to it when she can listen to it with me & since I had this one from the same author I read it “first”. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 – July 24, 2018).
I enjoyed being sucked into the world of Half Past, albeit a little uncomfortable at times as I followed along with Hannah’s journey. The writing was fantastic, and the research was phenomenal. The way Stone twisted the plot deeper and tied up every end was awe inspiring. She is definitely an author I will be looking out to read more from.
Initially I did not like the main character Hannah because she seemed so selfish and self-centered. As the story continued to expand, I found myself thinking more positively of her. This is a story of a woman searching for her roots but uncovering more than she planned on in the process, although she did find herself while she was searching.
Half Past is a well-paced suspense novel about a woman named Hannah who uncovers evidence that she cannot be the biological daughter of the mother she’s caring for. Her father is dead, and her mother is suffering from dementia and dying. Distraught and eager to find answers, she drops everything and heads to the only place that might hold the truth: the town of her birth.
I did not like Hannah, and for what it’s worth, I don’t think we’re necessarily supposed to. She is realistically flawed and a bit brash, but aware of her shortcomings. She is a straight-shooter, with herself and those she holds close, which is not appreciated as much as one would expect. However, we’re supposed to see her for all the reasons she doesn’t fit, to understand why her passion for hard answers is so strong.
I wouldn’t qualify Half Past as a thriller, because this wasn’t an “I can’t turn the pages fast enough” kind of book. It was what I guess is called a “cozy mystery”? There was no foul language, no gore, not really even any sex. Instead it was a direct chronicle of one woman’s sane and calm search for her true mother, to discover the truth of how she ended up where she did — in a family where she always felt like an outsider.
Reading and enjoying now, hard to put down.