Perfect for readers of The Girl on the Train and Winter’s Bone, Publishers Weekly praises The Guilt We Carry as “a gripping tale of redemption” and New York Journal of Books declares it “the Breaking Bad of the book world.”Since the tragic accident that brutally ended her childhood, Alice O’Farrell has been haunted by her past. Unable to bear the guilt of negligence that led to the death of her … the guilt of negligence that led to the death of her younger brother, fifteen-year-old Alice runs away from home. She lives on the streets, makes one bad decision after another, and drowns her guilt in alcohol. But, everything changes when she stumbles upon a startling scene: a dead drug dealer and a duffel bag full of one hundred thousand dollars in cash. Recognizing this as an opportunity for a fresh start, Alice takes the money and runs. However, she soon finds herself fleeing from more than her own past—the dead dealer’s drug supplier wants his money back and will destroy her to get it. A merciless manhunt ensues, headed by Sinclair—a formidable opponent—relentless, shrewd, and brutal. As blood is spilled all around her, Alice is eventually faced with her day of reckoning. In the end, The Guilt We Carry is a story about redemption and forgiveness, but at what cost?
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A heartbreaking tale of a young girl mired in hopelessness following a tragic accident. One of the reviews called it “grit-soaked suspense”, and that it is. Another called it “The Breaking Bad” of the book world. Guaranteed: Alice’s story will stay with you forever.
The book description really sucked me in. I have been wanting to read it since I read that.
I was wrapped up in the book though that didn’t happen until almost the halfway mark. There is a lot of descriptive writing that leaves little to be imagined. At the same time that descriptive writing allowed you to distinctly hear the major sound of the book. Sorry to be a little vague but I’d rather you read the book. There were three places where the plot did not hold up for me. One had to do with a death, the others with Alice. I really liked Alice. I could form a fairly accurate idea of who she is, which is where the two breaks from the story come in. Despite these three spots, (two get addressed though, for me, not satisfactorily), I was still invested in the story I was being told. I did like the ending. I would have liked to know more about Elton and Delilah though.
I am interested in reading another book by this author.
Alice wakes up in a strange room, with a strange man lying next to her. She’s suffering a bad hangover, and doesn’t remember how she got there. But she does know the man and one thing for certain. she would never have gone with him unless she was drugged. She tries to quietly find her clothing, but the man seems dead to the world … mainly because he is dead.
It seems like she’s made one bad decision after another for the past few years. She had had a bright future when she was a teenager… but a traumatic experience sent her reeling, and then living on the streets. Alcohol became her drug of choice … anything to deaden the memory .. and the guilt.
When she finds the man’s duffel bag, she finds more than clean clothes .. and she makes another decision that is going to change the course of her life once again. And when she leaves, she leaves behind a total of 5 dead men … and another one who will try to hunt her down.
Alice is a terrific character. She’s damaged, but still has hope that she can turn her life around someday. She’s flawed, has issues, but she’s hanging in there. And when she becomes the hunted, bodies fall and blood flows.
Alice is eventually faced with her day of reckoning. In the end, The Guilt We Carry is a story about redemption and forgiveness, but at what cost?
It’s a well written story … and I really enjoyed the use of sounds in the telling … the sounds when underwater … when a dryer is running …. when someone cocks a gun. It grabs from the very first and the suspense and tension is driven higher and higher.
Many thanks to the author / Oceanview Publishing / Edelweiss for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.