ONE OF BUSTLE’S MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF SUMMER 2020 From the acclaimed author of The Woman in the Dark: a young teacher struggles to solve the mystery of her sister’s death while battling hallucinations of her own. Two girls went down to the woods… But only one came back. There’s a lot from Tess’s childhood that she would rather forget. The family who moved next door and brought chaos to … back.
There’s a lot from Tess’s childhood that she would rather forget. The family who moved next door and brought chaos to their quiet lives. The two girls who were murdered, their killer never found. But the only thing she can’t remember is the one thing she wishes she could.
Ten years ago, Tess’s older sister died. Ruled a tragic accident, the only witness was Tess herself, but she has never been able to remember what happened that night in the woods.
Now living in London, Tess has resolved to put the trauma behind her. But an emergency call from her father forces her back to the family home, back to where her sister’s body was found, and to the memories she thought were lost forever…
This was a good creepy, psychological thriller! “Two girls went in, one one came out.” You know the two that went in, and you know the one who came out but you don’t know the why or who did what aspect. This was a good cat and mouse game of pointing the finger from one, to the next, to the next. This one definitely kept you wondering the whole way through.
A decade ago, Tess sister was found dead in the woods. She, to this day still believes it was murder, but the police closed her case as an accident. She fell down a small ravine and hit her head on a rock. Black and white. Cut and dry, case closed. But Tess has never been convinced that Bella slipped and fell on her own, that someone at least had a hand in helping her fall to her death at the very least. At the time there were other girls who were missing, and bodies that had turned up and a killer had not been found. Tess thinks Bella was one of the victims.
Tess has been informed that her step-mother does not have much time left, and it is time for her to come and visit and say her final goodbyes. Tess cannot stomach the thought of going back there, it will only dredge up that horrific night, and Tess has done a pretty good job of blocking it all out. Almost everything about that night is a big gapping black hole. The last thing she remembers is being at the wedding and kissing a boy, and someone carrying her up to bed. The champagne had all went to her head that night.
Tess comes to terms that it is the right thing to do, and goes back home. The nightmares become worse, her sleeping is all a mess and piece by piece that night slowly snakes it way back into Tess’ memory and with everyone back home, it’s creating animosity and hard feelings amongst all. Fingers are pointed, questions are asked and whispers of the truth are across the lips of those who were there that night.
Can Tess finally dredge up her memories of that night. What happened? Who was all involved, and why Bella. What really happened after the wedding? Who was the boy she kissed and why? What was she doing in the woods, and why did Bella take her there? So many questions, and so many missing answers. A body is also uncovered during this time, and that is all it takes for the police to bring that night back to the forefront of everyone’s lives.
Can the truth finally be sought? Will the killer of those girls finally be found out? Will the truth about the step-brothers emerge, or who their father truly was? Where is he anyways? The web of lies seems to become even more entangled with every question the police ask until finally Tess is forced to confront her memories.
Thank you to Grand Central publishing for the free book! This was a very good read, and with each chapter you finger pointed to the next suspect right along with Tess until it all finally unfolded. What was supposed to be a happy wedding day, turned into a nightmare with the death of a daughter, Tess’s sister.