THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER “Brilliant….About as good as a thriller can be.”—The New York Times Book Review “[A] nail-biter perfect for Room fans.”—Cosmopolitan “Sensationally good psychological suspense.”—Lee Child Praised by Karin Slaughter and Megan Abbott, The Marsh King’s Daughter is the mesmerizing tale of a woman who must risk everything to hunt down the dangerous man who shaped her … mesmerizing tale of a woman who must risk everything to hunt down the dangerous man who shaped her past and threatens to steal her future: her father.
Helena Pelletier has a loving husband, two beautiful daughters, and a business that fills her days. But she also has a secret: she is the product of an abduction. Her mother was kidnapped as a teenager by her father and kept in a remote cabin in the marshlands of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Helena, born two years after the abduction, loved her home in nature, and despite her father’s sometimes brutal behavior, she loved him, too…until she learned precisely how savage he could be.
More than twenty years later, she has buried her past so soundly that even her husband doesn’t know the truth. But now her father has killed two guards, escaped from prison, and disappeared into the marsh. The police begin a manhunt, but Helena knows they don’t stand a chance. Knows that only one person has the skills to find the survivalist the world calls the Marsh King—because only one person was ever trained by him: his daughter.
A Michigan Notable Book!
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Dionne paints a tepidly suspenseful atmosphere for much of the book, which profits from the quirk of a head-strong, homesteading female protagonist. I found her likable and sympathetic- to a point. It was odd to see such a strong woman succumb to daddy issues so late in the game.
The UP of Michigan is brilliantly portrayed and one of my fav ‘characters’. I thought it a fine first effort.
Best thriller book I’ve ever read.
I really enjoyed this book. Just the thought of growing up as the main character did made really wonder what kind of adult a person could turn into. It was very interesting!
Wow, the main character was very well drawn. Very ambivalent. As you progress in the story, you come to understand why. Very well done. Stayed awake to finish it!
Wow that was phenomenal. The descriptions alone really bring you to the marsh and let you experience what it must have been like to grow up there. What an idea for a story. And I think it was executed brilliantly. I love how the characters are not just good or evil but have components of both and are realistic human people. I like the main character’s realization of who and what her father is and her love for him regardless of their history. Great story.
Writer did a great job developing the characters, especially zoning in on the true psyche of the father.
Outstanding book! This is a modern day tale based on Hans Christian Anderson’s The Marsh King’s Daughter. It’s a creative and chilling story about a girl who grows up in a remote region in the upper peninsula of Michigan, unaware that she and her mother are captives of her father! The young girl is charmed by her Ojibwe father until she gradually realizes he has a saddistic, narcissistic, psychopathic side. Atmospheric, beautiful, disturbing and riveting.
Stunning
Enjoyed this book from start to finish!
An outstanding story, unique in content and delivery. The protagonist’s building backstory as a child moves toward understanding the obscene truth about her origin and her backwoods existence. It’s juxtapositioned against her dilemma of the protagonist as an adult, needing to track her murderous father who’s escaped from prison into the same wild they’d both lived in as family, the father showing every intention of wanting to again ruin the protagonist’s life now that she’s an adult with a family. Thoroughly enjoyable read.
Really good story line. The characters were especially compelling .
Very different book, but I couldn’t put it down.
Wow! What a story! It’s amazing how the author makes you both understand and hate the father. The forest is both prison and haven. This book definitely sticks with you.
This was a great read. The characters are richly developed, and the plot is original and gripping. You won’t want to stop reading it!
Couldn’t put this one down. It kept me interested from the first page to the last. Love the setting of this as I have been to Glacier Park and the characters were so well developed and believable. Worth a read.
Great book with surprising ending!
I enjoyed this book very much. Loved the characters and an interesting plot. This was a nice break from my usual reads which tend to be graphic and a bit more violent. Good read and moves at a fairly fast pace.
different, but good
3.5 stars
Relationships are always interesting, and this book bring them to a new level!