Scan barcode
francescacoll's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
This was an excellent psychological thriller! I loved the dual POV chapters (always a winner for me). And, when I say psychological, I definitely mean mind and memory manipulation being a major plot point in this one. Made it very interesting because you never actually know what memories are real as you go along.... I also appreciated that everything isn't wrapped up in a neat little bow 🎀
judithdcollins's review against another edition
4.0
Having read and loved Megan Goldin's books, [b:Stay Awake|58724748|Stay Awake|Megan Goldin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1653947218l/58724748._SY75_.jpg|90379808], [b:The Night Swim|51169341|The Night Swim (Rachel Krall, #1)|Megan Goldin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1569898236l/51169341._SY75_.jpg|70932279], [b:The Escape Room|41150380|The Escape Room|Megan Goldin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1539265141l/41150380._SY75_.jpg|60014954], and currently reading her 2023 book, [b:Dark Corners|61884922|Dark Corners (Rachel Krall, #2)|Megan Goldin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1666694500l/61884922._SY75_.jpg|97563814], I realized I had not read— THE GIRL IN KELLERS WAY and quickly grabbed the audiobook.
As with Goldin's later books, this one had all the riveting twists and turns and the psychological elements readers have come to expect.
THE GIRL IN KELLERS WAY is an intriguing novel of deception and delusion.
Set in NC (in my hometown area), a riveting domestic noir suspense from a seasoned pro (war zone journalist) turned psychological thriller novelist. Before becoming a novelist, Megan worked as a reporter covering the Middle East and Asia for the Reuters news agency, the Associate Press, and ABC, as well as other news outlets.
When the body of a woman is found in the forest near Kellers Way, detective Mel Carter must re-open an old case that was closed. There are links to Matt and Julie, and both become suspects— Mel must work out who is reliable and who is lying.
Narrated from two POVs:
Julie West:
Housewife, and mother to three-year-old Alice, Julie is the second wife of Matt West, a psychology lecturer. She loves jogging on Kellers Way. She lives in the shadow of Laura's tragedy, daily. She sees herself as the inconvenience second wife the way she is treated by Matt.
Julie became Matt's wife and mother to his young daughter Alice— after his wife, Laura, was tragically killed. Matt has never really gotten over the shock of his wife's tragic death. Matt is not a faithful husband and is a womanizer. Julie is being compromised by Matt (drugged)and has given up her love of life and jogging. She no longer trusts her husband and has doubts about her memories.
Julie is under stress from the memory of Laura, the demands of being a trophy wife, and constant worries about her husband’s attention from the young women who flock to his lectures. Her escape is in running, and one morning in the forest on Kellers Way, she is forced to dive out of the way of a crashing vehicle.
Then the dying driver gives her a chilling warning… then he dies.
Detective Melanie Carter:
The second narration is Mel Carter, the homicide detective assigned to the case of the body found on Kellers Way. Mel is a single mother who balances her family with her professional life as a detective. Her police officer husband was killed on active duty in NY. She is determined to identify the victim found on Kellers Way and the killer. She wants closure for the victim's family.
Mel is a complex character, struggling with her oldest son acting out and worrying about the effect their father’s loss has on her sons. Mel left NY with her two boys after the death of her husband. Alternate chapters are told from Mel’s point of view as she tracks down the identity of a body found in Kellers Way, and then the person responsible for their death.
Things get busy for DI Mel Carter when her partner goes on holiday. Just two weeks apart, there’s a fatal road crash and then the discovery of human remains, both on Kellers Way. Mel discovers that the murder of Laura West is not a closed case and that the trail of clues is not as clear as she had thought.
Is the obvious suspect the murderer? Or has an innocent person been condemned? Mel and Julie's lives intersect when Mel suspects Julie may have a connection to the body found on Kellers Way.
To complicate matters making it more mysterious, there’s someone warning Julie she’s in danger, intriguing new information about Matt’s research, and some questions about Alice’s parentage.
A gripping twisty story infused with psychological elements about how we perceive situations and process memory.
And that ending . . . !
Even though these are not girls as the title implies, they are women and the author keeps you guessing with red herrings and plot twists. Goldin is a talented storyteller and even though this was her first novel, she has a wealth of experience (see bio). When you read her subsequent novels, you will agree she is a star.
With well-developed characters, you will love/hate them— Especially Matt who is despicable. Even though he did not have a voice in the novel, he was highly unlikeable. I enjoyed Mel's character and her drive with her job and balancing her personal life and her partner, Will.
Julie is somewhat of a mixed bag with the memories and drugs, fugue state, and jealous mania— based on how her character is represented as being worn down by Matt and an unreliable witness and narrator. You are not sure if you can trust her.
I hope we see a sequel, later on, to continue with DI Mel Carter! (we are getting a sequel from Night Swim with Dark Corners), so maybe this one too.
AUDIOBOOK: I purchased the audiobook narrated by Anthea Greco and Susan Godfrey. The narrator for Mel was not as good as Julie's part as she was very breathy. I did enjoy Julie's narrator immensely. Overall, an entertaining performance and listened in one sitting.
Blog Review Posted @
www.JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: Mar 22, 2018
My Rating: 4 Stars
My MG Reviews:
Stay Awake
Night Swim
The Escape Room
The Girl on Kellers Way
As with Goldin's later books, this one had all the riveting twists and turns and the psychological elements readers have come to expect.
THE GIRL IN KELLERS WAY is an intriguing novel of deception and delusion.
Set in NC (in my hometown area), a riveting domestic noir suspense from a seasoned pro (war zone journalist) turned psychological thriller novelist. Before becoming a novelist, Megan worked as a reporter covering the Middle East and Asia for the Reuters news agency, the Associate Press, and ABC, as well as other news outlets.
When the body of a woman is found in the forest near Kellers Way, detective Mel Carter must re-open an old case that was closed. There are links to Matt and Julie, and both become suspects— Mel must work out who is reliable and who is lying.
Narrated from two POVs:
Julie West:
Housewife, and mother to three-year-old Alice, Julie is the second wife of Matt West, a psychology lecturer. She loves jogging on Kellers Way. She lives in the shadow of Laura's tragedy, daily. She sees herself as the inconvenience second wife the way she is treated by Matt.
Julie became Matt's wife and mother to his young daughter Alice— after his wife, Laura, was tragically killed. Matt has never really gotten over the shock of his wife's tragic death. Matt is not a faithful husband and is a womanizer. Julie is being compromised by Matt (drugged)and has given up her love of life and jogging. She no longer trusts her husband and has doubts about her memories.
Julie is under stress from the memory of Laura, the demands of being a trophy wife, and constant worries about her husband’s attention from the young women who flock to his lectures. Her escape is in running, and one morning in the forest on Kellers Way, she is forced to dive out of the way of a crashing vehicle.
Then the dying driver gives her a chilling warning… then he dies.
Detective Melanie Carter:
The second narration is Mel Carter, the homicide detective assigned to the case of the body found on Kellers Way. Mel is a single mother who balances her family with her professional life as a detective. Her police officer husband was killed on active duty in NY. She is determined to identify the victim found on Kellers Way and the killer. She wants closure for the victim's family.
Mel is a complex character, struggling with her oldest son acting out and worrying about the effect their father’s loss has on her sons. Mel left NY with her two boys after the death of her husband. Alternate chapters are told from Mel’s point of view as she tracks down the identity of a body found in Kellers Way, and then the person responsible for their death.
Things get busy for DI Mel Carter when her partner goes on holiday. Just two weeks apart, there’s a fatal road crash and then the discovery of human remains, both on Kellers Way. Mel discovers that the murder of Laura West is not a closed case and that the trail of clues is not as clear as she had thought.
Is the obvious suspect the murderer? Or has an innocent person been condemned? Mel and Julie's lives intersect when Mel suspects Julie may have a connection to the body found on Kellers Way.
To complicate matters making it more mysterious, there’s someone warning Julie she’s in danger, intriguing new information about Matt’s research, and some questions about Alice’s parentage.
A gripping twisty story infused with psychological elements about how we perceive situations and process memory.
And that ending . . . !
Even though these are not girls as the title implies, they are women and the author keeps you guessing with red herrings and plot twists. Goldin is a talented storyteller and even though this was her first novel, she has a wealth of experience (see bio). When you read her subsequent novels, you will agree she is a star.
With well-developed characters, you will love/hate them— Especially Matt who is despicable. Even though he did not have a voice in the novel, he was highly unlikeable. I enjoyed Mel's character and her drive with her job and balancing her personal life and her partner, Will.
Julie is somewhat of a mixed bag with the memories and drugs, fugue state, and jealous mania— based on how her character is represented as being worn down by Matt and an unreliable witness and narrator. You are not sure if you can trust her.
I hope we see a sequel, later on, to continue with DI Mel Carter! (we are getting a sequel from Night Swim with Dark Corners), so maybe this one too.
AUDIOBOOK: I purchased the audiobook narrated by Anthea Greco and Susan Godfrey. The narrator for Mel was not as good as Julie's part as she was very breathy. I did enjoy Julie's narrator immensely. Overall, an entertaining performance and listened in one sitting.
Blog Review Posted @
www.JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: Mar 22, 2018
My Rating: 4 Stars
My MG Reviews:
Stay Awake
Night Swim
The Escape Room
The Girl on Kellers Way
kcfromaustcrime's review
4.0
There's some disquiet about the place these days over the use of "Girl" in titles of books. We all know where it comes from and the marketing decisions that seem to be feeding it. Suffice to say it's a trend that makes me (an old old woman) a bit squeamish. Especially as neither Julie or Mel, the protagonists in Goldin's debut domestic noir - THE GIRL IN KELLERS WAY are girls.They are women dealing with a very real experience that confronts many women - the creepy, controlling behaviour of a man in their lives and violent death.
Told in two main narrative streams, THE GIRL IN KELLERS WAY builds the stories of Julie - wife of psychology lecturer Matt. After Matt's first marriage to Laura ended in tragedy, he rapidly moved on. Marriage to Julie, who took over the care and raising of Matt's young daughter has created a lot of problems for Julie. Jealous of the dead Laura, hooked on a cocktail of drugs and badly out of touch with reality, she's a victim of Matt's manipulation and non-too-subtle white-anting.
The other voice is that of new-cop-in-town Mel, who has moved here after the death of her policeman husband in the line of duty. Now a single mother, she is doing the balancing act between family and the job, and maybe because of that, is super-sensitive to families where things are a little off-kilter. She has a very close look at Julie's life when the discovery of a body on Kellers Way seems to have links to her.
There's obviously intent here in the way that circumstances of these women's lives compare and contrast. Mel's the sensible, by the numbers cop with the standard family issues and the dreadful circumstances of her husband's death to deal with, done in a matter of fact, black is never grey sort of way. Julie on the other hand, whilst less immediately connected to tragedy, is less able to cope and considerably more addled - partly because of the drugs and maybe because that's the sort of person that she is. It sets up a number of possible scenarios for Goldin to play with, giving plenty of opportunity for some seriously twisting and turning plot elements, and a hefty deployment of cliff hangers, keeping the reader in a state of confusion from start to finish.
The idea of the different coping mechanisms of the two main characters is an interesting twist on much of the standard tropes of domestic noir. Add to that an effective playout of tension and unpredictability in the plot and THE GIRL IN KELLERS WAY is worthwhile pursuing - for fans of domestic noir and psychological thrillers.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/girl-kellers-way-megan-goldin-0
Told in two main narrative streams, THE GIRL IN KELLERS WAY builds the stories of Julie - wife of psychology lecturer Matt. After Matt's first marriage to Laura ended in tragedy, he rapidly moved on. Marriage to Julie, who took over the care and raising of Matt's young daughter has created a lot of problems for Julie. Jealous of the dead Laura, hooked on a cocktail of drugs and badly out of touch with reality, she's a victim of Matt's manipulation and non-too-subtle white-anting.
The other voice is that of new-cop-in-town Mel, who has moved here after the death of her policeman husband in the line of duty. Now a single mother, she is doing the balancing act between family and the job, and maybe because of that, is super-sensitive to families where things are a little off-kilter. She has a very close look at Julie's life when the discovery of a body on Kellers Way seems to have links to her.
There's obviously intent here in the way that circumstances of these women's lives compare and contrast. Mel's the sensible, by the numbers cop with the standard family issues and the dreadful circumstances of her husband's death to deal with, done in a matter of fact, black is never grey sort of way. Julie on the other hand, whilst less immediately connected to tragedy, is less able to cope and considerably more addled - partly because of the drugs and maybe because that's the sort of person that she is. It sets up a number of possible scenarios for Goldin to play with, giving plenty of opportunity for some seriously twisting and turning plot elements, and a hefty deployment of cliff hangers, keeping the reader in a state of confusion from start to finish.
The idea of the different coping mechanisms of the two main characters is an interesting twist on much of the standard tropes of domestic noir. Add to that an effective playout of tension and unpredictability in the plot and THE GIRL IN KELLERS WAY is worthwhile pursuing - for fans of domestic noir and psychological thrillers.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/girl-kellers-way-megan-goldin-0
luckies_universe's review
4.0
This was great. Thrilling (duh, because it's a thriller), engaging, and a brilliant storyline. I loved the open ending.
vezreads's review against another edition
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
shaylee_anne's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
elliecleland5's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sunflowerfoxglove's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75