Review by New York Times Review
THE DEVILS OF CARDONA, by Matthew Carr. (Riverhead, $27.) Carr's enthralling and exciting fiction debut, set in late-16th-century Aragon, highlights the tensions between the region's Christians and its Muslim converts. GOOD AS GONE, by Amy Gentry. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $23.) In this first novel, the apparent reappearance of a kidnapped young woman after eight years raises questions about identity. ALL THE MISSING GIRLS, by Megan Miranda. (Simon & Schuster, $25.) A woman returns to her hometown in search of a friend who has disappeared in Miranda's intriguingly narrated thriller. UNDER THE HARROW, by Flynn Berry. (Penguin, paper, $16.) A woman seeks her sister's brutal murderer in Berry's compulsively readable novel of psychological suspense, narrated in a striking, original voice. YOU WILL KNOW ME, by Megan Abbott. (Little, Brown, $26.) Abbott's skillfully written murder mystery centers on an ambitious teenage gymnast and her family. THE DEATH OF REX NHONGO, by C.B. George. (Lee Boudreaux/Little, Brown, $26.) A gifted storyteller's first novel explores intricately intertwined lives in contemporary Zimbabwe. DANCING WITH THE TIGER, by Lili Wright. (Marian Wood/Putnam, $26.) A struggle to acquire Montezuma's death mask animates this energetic debut, a sprawling literary thriller. THE ANGEL: The Egyptian Spy Who Saved Israel, by Uri Bar-Joseph. (Harper/HarperCollins, $29.99.) A trenchant account of the career of a master spy. MISSING, PRESUMED, by Susie Steiner. (Random House, $27.) Steiner's smart, stylish detective novel features a convincing ensemble cast. The full reviews of these and other recent books are on the web: nytimes.com/books.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [August 14, 2016]
Review by Booklist Review
Julie, kidnapped from her home at 13, miraculously arrives back on her doorstep eight years later. Her parents, Anna and Tom, and her sister, Jane, try to reconnect, but Julie is secretive and rebellious, sneaking out instead of going to counseling and, aside from generic testimony for the police report, refusing to talk about what happened to her. Anna begins to wonder, Is this young woman really Julie, or could it be someone else? Clever perspective changes give Gentry's debut building suspense; Anna, speaking in first person, considers her daughter's remoteness and meets with a PI to discover where Julie goes during the day; as Anna's investigation moves forward, chapters from Julie's perspective move backward, so readers inch toward learning more about her identity. Fans of Paula Hawkins' The Girl on the Train will enjoy the shifting points of view and the complex female characters, and those who liked Samantha Hunt's Mr. Splitfoot will appreciate the seedy characters and haunting theme of childhood vulnerability. The prevalence of pedophilia and sexual abuse may be too much for some, but Gentry's depiction of a family working through immense suffering will connect with many readers.--Grant, Sarah Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The life of Anna Davalos, the narrator of Gentry's suspenseful if flawed first novel, has been defined by a single night-when her 13-year-old daughter, Julie, was abducted at knifepoint by an intruder into their Houston home, a crime witnessed by her terrified 10-year-old daughter, Jane. Eight years later, Anna's relationship with Jane is strained, and no one is looking for Julie any more. Anna's life is upended again when Julie shows up on her doorstep, traumatized physically and mentally. Julie's account of her captivity is harrowing, but Anna soon suspects that Julie isn't being completely honest about what happened. Those doubts extend to the basic question of whether the young woman is really Julie or a manipulative, cynical imposter. As the family adjusts to the new reality, Anna's relationships with her husband and Jane suffer. Gentry does a good job of making the characters, especially Anna, psychologically plausible, but the final revelation is a letdown. Agent: Sharon Pelletier, Dystel & Goderich Literary Management. (July) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Eight years ago, 13-year-old Julie was kidnapped from her room while little sister Janie watched with horror from the closet. Her parents spent countless hours and funds searching for her to no avail. Fast-forward to the present, when an adult Julie rings the doorbell at the family home and literally falls back into their lives. The family's joy is tempered with awkwardness, regret, and suspicion. Then a private investigator emerges and suggests that Julie is not who she claims to be. Debut novelist Gentry presents a familiar plot-a missing relative returning to an unsure family. But Gentry's treatment is effective, with a swift-moving narrative, an interesting backstory for Julie, and engrossing insight into mother Anna's ambivalence and grief. The story alludes to but ultimately misses the opportunity to discuss serious issues (e.g., child trafficking), but for the beach read that this book ultimately is, that's an acceptable omission. The audio production is of good quality, and narrator Karen Peakes does a nice job giving voice to multiple characters, all of whom exhibit a wide range of emotions and angst. VERDICT Fans of Sarah Steiner and Megan Abbott should enjoy this title. ["A good pick for fans of mysteries, thrillers, and family drama": LJ Xpress Reviews 8/5/16 review of the Houghton Harcourt hc.]-Nicole A. Cooke, Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
