Gretchen Holloway, in her final year of graduate school, is in the throes of auditioning actors for her thesis film, inspired by a murdered young football star who has haunted her dreams for two years. Gretchen believes making the movie will be cathartic. But instead of freeing her, embarking upon the film production unleashes a sequence of events that lead Gretchen to conclude that she’s the … reincarnation of the young man.
Regina Wilson has always wanted to be an actress. When her agent gets her an audition for a role in Gretchen’s film, which eerily mirrors one of the worst events of her life—the unsolved murder of her older brother, Robert—she’s hard-pressed to go through with it. Upon fleeing, she leaves behind a keepsake that features Robert’s photo. Gretchen sees the picture and recognizes Robert from her dreams. She tracks down Regina, and after being rebuffed and called crazy, Gretchen’s unexplainable knowledge of events in Robert’s life eventually convinces Regina that Gretchen is Robert reincarnated.
The two decide to have his case reopened, but their significant others are dead set against it, and the police, who believe that Robert’s death was gang-related, are less than cooperative. However, Gretchen is desperate to get justice for her former self, and Regina wants justice for her brother. The women piece together the final week of Robert’s life. And the deeper they delve into his past; one shocking revelation follows another, leaving them wondering who they can trust and if they’ll live long enough to find Robert’s killer and bring him to justice.
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Gretches’s life is been dowhill since the nightmares started two years ago, a black man dead in a pool of blood. Now she is going to make a short film about them as a graduate school project. But as the project progress she realise that the nightmares might be from something horrible happened more than twenty years ago And trying to find the truth is going to be dangerous. Great thriller
Reincarnation, would you believe that your family member was. Half of another person? Would you think they were crazy or trust them to know what was happening within there own mind?
Gretchen Holloway was doing a film on a murdered football player. Here to come find out there was a young football murdered exactly like in her dreams.
Regina Wilson, the murdered young football sister becomes an actress and comes across the auditions Gretchen is holding.
The women get together and try and figure out who and why Robert was killed. This journey is fraught with danger and suffering for them and their families and close friends. This book could be taken right out of the newspaper headlines today!
I received a free advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.
Boasting an intriguing premise that pulled me in right from the start, “The Truth About Gretchen” is a suspense story with a very unique twist. The concept of reincarnation and past lives therapy has always held a certain fascination for me, so it is little wonder that I found this storyline so appealing. Certain secondary characters, however, I found less appealing, so that did detract some from my overall enjoyment of this book. Still, the author spun a pretty decent tale, and if you are willing to suspend belief, sit back and enjoy the ride, you’ll find yourself getting lost is this intriguing, easy-to-read story that will keep you guessing along the way.
The Truth About Gretchen by award winning author, Alretha Thomas is an intriguing, captivating mystery unlike anything I have ever read. This is one of those rare books that must be made into a movie. Readers are in for a surprise with this suspense filled, mysterious and emotional book.
Gretchen Holloway has been cursed with recurring nightmares about a young man who has been murdered. She is a graduate film student, and feels a strong need to make a movie about her dreams and what she sees. Regina Wilson’s brother, Robert, was murdered twenty-six years ago, and it has since gone unsolved. She is an actress about to audition for the leading role in Gretchen’s film, but she backs out at the last minute with the chilling feeling that the film strangely resembles her own brother’s murder. However, she mistakenly leaves something behind which Gretchen finds. This seemingly insignificant item bonds Gretchen and Regina together in an intriguing, momentous and spiritual way.
Alretha Thomas’ expressive writing style captivated me from the very first chapter. I quickly connected with Gretchen and Regina, as I felt their emotions, heard their thoughts and could picture the entire scene as they were driven to find Robert’s killer. With a powerful original premise and compelling storyline woven together beautifully, The Truth About Gretchen is the best book I have read in years. It is magnificently written in the first person of the two main characters. This story is a rollercoaster ride with many dirty players involved. With a depth rarely seen in mystery and suspense books, the author has created a one-of-a-kind story with remarkable, relatable and likable characters and compelling clues that all come to shape magnificently, drawing the reader further and further in at every turn of the page. The conclusion is astounding.
The Truth About Gretchen by Alretha Thomas is a welcome gift to all readers who love mysteries that go beyond the ordinary. But, instead delves into extraordinary unique elements that will keep them coming back for more from this noteworthy author. This is a 5 star must read book!
A Riveting and Powerful Murder Mystery
This narrative is a fantastic page-turner with a blend of diverse characters, terrific dialogue, cliff-hanging scenarios, suspense, drama, romance, and murder. Gretchen Holloway, a graduate student, has nightmares about a man whom she does not know and believes making a film will aid her in untangling this mystery. Regina Wilson, an actress, is asked to audition for the leading role but refuses to try out for the part, but when Gretchen finds a water bottle, she will be a seer to a murder that occurred twenty-six years ago, which will cause her to bond with Regina and playing amateur detectives, taking you on an emotional roller coaster ride, divulging some secrets and lies, betrayal, envy, scandal, police corruption, and shocking revelations, gradually leading up to an ending that will leave you speechless. I like that Gretchen and Regina have supportive men in their lives, and even though they each face some trials and tribulations, the women characters are more alike than they are different. And even though they may not agree on various issues, the support, friendship, and inspiration that Gretchen, Kate, Patty, Cookie and Sarah demonstrate are a testimony to true camaraderie.