Home after a lengthy absence to visit her dying sister, Blair Butler discovers that the person who murdered her best friend 15 years ago might still be living in the area and that the wrong man was convicted of the crime and that her sister deliberately lied to the police, knowing it might put an innocent man behind bars. But who is the real killer? MacDonald, who has published nearly 20 novels … novels since the early 1980s, writes gripping suspense with strong, resilient female lead characters; fans of Joy Fielding or Mary Higgins Clark who haven’t yet discovered MacDonald should make a point to seek her out.
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Blair’s best friend Molly was murdered fifteen years ago. Blair grew up, moved away and has a business to run. When Blair’s sister, Celeste gets sick Blair returns to her hometown. There on her deathbed, Celeste tells Blair the terrible secret she has been keeping for all these years. The wrong man is serving time for the murder. Blair feels she must right this wrong, but the police are not interested. She hires a private investigator she really doesn’t trust, so she stays to help with the investigation. This puts her in the real killer’s site. Can they solve this mystery before someone else is killed? Some ‘didn’t see that coming’ moments in the book. Good story overall. I would like to thank NetGalley for a copy of this book that I voluntarily reviewed.
As a fan of Patricia MacDonald for years, I really looked forward to this latest psychological suspense, and I must say that I was not disappointed. This was the story of two sisters who were sent to live with their very bad-tempered uncle after the death of their mom. Ellis didn’t want the girls there and made it clear that he considered them a burden. When Blair had her friend Molly over for a visit one day after school, everything goes very badly. Ellis sends Molly home, in the rain and through the woods and Molly is murdered. The murderer is behind bars, or that is what everyone thinks until Celeste, Blair’s sister, confesses on her deathbed that she could have given Yusef an alibi but was too afraid of Ellis to do that. So the wrong man is in prison and Blair spends the rest of the book trying to find who the real murderer is so that Yusef can be freed. After fifteen years, Blair faces a real challenge and enlists the help of PI Tom Olson. Following the clues is a twisted trail through the woods and into the lives of people who have moved on. Blair feels guilty because of Molly’s death and is absolutely determined to find the real killer. Her quest endangers her and the ending is a really stunning surprise. I really enjoyed this book and know that fans of MacDonald and others who love suspense will enjoy it as well. It does deal with the mature topic of abuse.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”
This book didn’t have much going for it. Beside The Girl in the Woods by Patricia MacDonald being a quick read with a few twists and turns, I really can’t be more enthusiastic about it.
Blair Butler’s life is pretty great, she has a fantastic career, she’s successful and beyond canny. Her sister on the other hand has had her fair share of ups and downs. Still living under her uncle’s roof and under his control, Celeste and her son live a very unhappy life.
Fifteen years ago Molly Sinclair was murdered after leaving her best friend Blair’s house. Her body was found days later and Adrian Jones, a young black man, was convicted of her murder and has spent fifteen years in jail. At the time of the investigation, Celeste denied being with Adrian Jones during Molly’s murder. Blair is now forced to return to see her terminally ill sister one last time where she reveals a guilty secret on her deathbed. Celeste had been with Adrian but never gave him an alibi.
Blair promises her sister she’ll right this wrong and find the real killer. In an attempt to find the truth Blair faces many difficulties. As Blair begins to investigate what really happened, some aren’t too happy to stir up what happened all those years ago. Can the murderer still be out there and does he know Blair was told the truth about an innocent man sitting in prison?
So, let’s just say this was a decent page-turner that went pretty quick. By the time I was finished, I didn’t really feel anything for it. The characters weren’t interesting and the plot was pretty easy to figure out early on. I think having read so many fantastic mysteries and thrillers lately, this felt rather flat. That doesn’t mean other people wouldn’t enjoy this book, I just feel I’m clouded by really great books before this one.
Putting this all aside, there were some positives. The creepy wooded setting was intriguing and made me think of where I grew up, and how when I was little we always played there. I can’t deny there were some really good twists that I didn’t see coming either. Blair’s background was very fascinating too and I’m grateful MacDonald gave us that aspect.
Patricia MacDonald’s The Girl in the Woods is a quick thriller, but it is very predictable with unlikeable characters. While I found it to be decent, it didn’t stick with me and I honestly wouldn’t read it again. All things considered, if you’re looking for a very fast read, with some twists thrown at you, this book is for you.
Thank you to NetGalley, Black Thorn and Patricia MacDonald for an ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
Read my full review here: https://bit.ly/2XHSwIO
The Girl in the Woods
Patricia MacDonald
3
Description:
Fifteen years ago, Blair’s best friend Molly was murdered.
Fifteen years ago, Adrian Jones went to prison for it.
Fifteen years ago, the real killer got away with it. And now, Blair’s terminally ill sister has made a devastating deathbed confession, which could prove that the wrong man has been imprisoned for years – and that Molly’s killer is still out there. Blair’s determined to find him, but the story behind Molly’s death is more twisted than she could imagine. If she isn’t careful, the killer will ensnare her and bury Blair with his secret
My Review
This book sounded like it would be good and i had such high hopes for it.
I usually love anything this author writes but this one failed to gain and keep my attention. The characters were not fully devolped and i could not really connect with any of them. Some parts of the book were a little repetitive. I figured out who the killer was very, very early in the story. So many things in this book were just so unbelievable. All in all this was an ok read. Not something i would care to buy or ever reread. However i am looking foward to her next book and hopefully it will be as amazing as all of her other books are.
I received an arc of this book and exchange for an honest review
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my fair and honest review.
I found the book to be a good mystery about a girl trying to prove a man innocent of a crime after her sister makes a death bed confession that she had lied 15 years before. I found this to be a quick read, although I did find it repetitive on some aspects of the story. The book could also be a trigger to some that have dealt with abuse in the past. Overall I found it to be a good read and would recommend it to others.
I was pleased to see that a new suspense novel from Patricia MacDonald was available. Excellent story, with sharply drawn characters and edge-of-your-seat plotting. Parts were truly gut-wrenching, but all ended well. Another satisfying read from this superbly talented author.