A woman vanishes from a Texas town. Did she simply run off, or is something darker at play?When Patrick Dielman shows up at Detective Jo Larsen’s desk insisting that his wife, Jenny, is missing, Jo wonders if it’s a case of a bored housewife running away.But as she digs deeper into Jenny’s life, Jo learns that Dielman keeps a stranglehold on the family finances, down to the last nickel, and that … the last nickel, and that Jenny’s first marriage dissolved following the death of her young son. By all accounts—including her doctor’s—she never recovered from the loss. Between a controlling husband, a tragic past, and a callous ex-husband, Jo can’t be sure if she should suspect foul play or accept that the woman may have wanted to disappear.
For Jo, whose own demons are shadowing her every step, finding Jenny becomes more than the typical protect-and-serve.
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I loved following Jo Larson’s path to finding justice for the missing Jenny, even if it means dealing with her own demons.
A real page turner, with twists, turns and red herrings. If you liked Gone Girl and Girl on the Train you’ll love this one too.
This was certainly one of the best murder mysteries I have read in a while. However, it was not apparent there was a murder till further on in the book which was what gripped me. Jo is a detective, in her thirties, in love with a married man and also has many demons she is fighting from her childhood. She takes on the case of a missing wife, Jennifer, and presumes Jennifer has simply left home. Jo is dedicated to always finding the truth and her gut instinct tells her Jennifer did not simply run away. Most of the book centers on Jo, but there are snippets from Jennifer’s journal which help us to understand her a little more.
I couldn’t put this book down! It kept me wanting to read more as the book went through its many twists and turns. I thought it was beautifully written and it touched all my senses with the descriptive language. I found the characters to be interesting and easy to relate to.
This book grabbed me from the very first chapter. That short, first chapter gives the reader a very brief glance into the lives of two very different women, both of them going through a whole lot. And you just know that somehow their lives are connected. I had to keep reading to learn more about both of them.
Jo is a very likable character and I immediately enjoyed being in her world. She’s like a bulldog that won’t give up the bone she’s chewing on. She knows something is off in her investigation of the missing woman, Jenny and she is not going to stop until she figures it out. I kept thinking I had it figured out, but boy was I wrong. There were twists and turns I was not expecting. Whew!
How have I not read a book by Susan McBride before now? I love mysteries with strong women characters and this series is off to a great start. I am excited to read more about Jo, her life, and the crimes she solves.
This was a fast-paced crime mystery with protagonist, Jo Larsen, heading the investigation into the disappearance of Jenny Dielman, a woman grieving for her 3 year-old son. The plot was solid and made sense, but Jo seemed a little too flawed and unreasonably obsessed with her job. Her partner, Hank, and her boyfriend, Adam, both try to protect her from herself, but Jo seems hell-bent on punishing herself for being a victim as a child. But, even though, her dedication seems over the top, Jo is a likeable character and she did rescue the cat, Ernie. Although the plot was somewhat predictable, the story moved along and wrapped up nicely at the end. Very entertaining.
When Patrick Dielman shows up at Detective Jo Larsen’s desk insisting that his wife, Jenny, is missing, Jo wonders if it’s a case of a bored housewife running away.
But as she digs deeper into Jenny’s life, Jo learns that Dielman keeps a stranglehold on the family finances, down to the last nickel, and that Jenny’s first marriage dissolved following the death of her young son. By all accounts—including her doctor’s—she never recovered from the loss. Between a controlling husband, a tragic past, and a callous ex-husband, Jo can’t be sure if she should suspect foul play or accept that the woman may have wanted to disappear.
The ending was a total surprise to me! I can’t wait to read the next book in the series. Well-written!
A frantic husband convinces Jo Larsen, a talented detective, to investigate his wife’s disappearance. The investigation is an uphill battle, until her body is discovered. No suicide, investigation reveals. But what is the motive? Who killed the grieving mother, and why? Larsen does not hold back, although she finds the terrain of the investigation to be intensely disturbing on a personal level. Follow the clues to an unsettling but satisfying end.
Great introduction. Jo Larsen’s character is revealed to us like a blooming flower, and what a wonder she is. The mystery and surrounding characters are excellent, too.
Cliche but entertaining.
*Book source ~ Kindle First
Patrick Diehlman, distraught husband of Jenny, goes to the police station to file a missing person’s report and ends up at Detective Jo Larsen’s desk. Well, there’s not a lot of officers to choose from in the small town of Plainfield, Texas, and since her partner Hank wasn’t in yet, Jo it is. So, Jenny has only been missing since the evening before and reports for adults usually don’t get filed for 48 hrs, but Jo’s not busy and Patrick is so insistent that she decides to go ahead and get started on finding either a person who is missing due to something bad happening or because she just wants to be gone. Jo doesn’t have enough info yet to make that determination. But as she delves into Jenny’s life Jo finds a woman drowning in sorrow, someone who may have done harm to herself. And when they find the body, that’s what it looks like. Except…Jo’s not convinced. And the story is off and running.
This is a really great mystery and I would have given it 5 bites except Jo is a bit unlikeable. I mean, I really hate a character who has people telling her to do something, something she KNOWS she needs to do and yet…she doesn’t. It’s irritating as fuck. This is something that has been going on for years. Omg, shit or get off the pot already. For fuck’s sake. *sigh* Anyway, I really did enjoy the story otherwise. The addition of Jenny’s diary entries at the beginning of every chapter is something I particularly enjoyed.
Very entertaining and I really liked the characters.