Scan barcode
A review by evaseyler
Two Girls Down by Louisa Luna
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
This came up as a recommendation on Libby and it looked intriguing so I checked it out. The mystery is on the dark side (we are talking preteen girls kidnapped, so the threat of abuse/murder hovers over the whole book as we wait to find out what happened to them). The main detective characters, a freelance missing person finder (Vega) and former policeman (Cap) are both very dynamic and well developed. I love Cap's relationship with his fabulous 16yo daughter. The other characters are well-drawn as well.
The setting is small-town Pennsylvania, and the premise is that a tired, frustrated single mom is taking her little girls to a birthday party and has them wait in the car as she runs in to grab a present for the birthday girl, but when she comes back they're gone. In addition to the police working the case, an aunt hires Vega from California and Vega in turn hires Cap (a local) because she can use his connections. They make a great team.
Content warning: there is a character who is a pedophile. There is nothing graphically described as far as what goes on with said character and their victims, but the point is not skirted around, either. The denouement is sad and disturbing but inasmuch as this kind of story can have a "happy ending", this one does.
I almost didn't read this one because of the narrator. Tavia Gilbert was one of the readers for Lost Roses, a book I didn't like anyway, and she was so histrionic sometimes I could hardly stand it. But I'm glad I gave it a chance anyway. She's still not a favourite, but she was way less over the top here and for the most part I was able to just let her be the vehicle for the telling.
The setting is small-town Pennsylvania, and the premise is that a tired, frustrated single mom is taking her little girls to a birthday party and has them wait in the car as she runs in to grab a present for the birthday girl, but when she comes back they're gone. In addition to the police working the case, an aunt hires Vega from California and Vega in turn hires Cap (a local) because she can use his connections. They make a great team.
Content warning: there is a character who is a pedophile. There is nothing graphically described as far as what goes on with said character and their victims, but the point is not skirted around, either. The denouement is sad and disturbing but inasmuch as this kind of story can have a "happy ending", this one does.
I almost didn't read this one because of the narrator. Tavia Gilbert was one of the readers for Lost Roses, a book I didn't like anyway, and she was so histrionic sometimes I could hardly stand it. But I'm glad I gave it a chance anyway. She's still not a favourite, but she was way less over the top here and for the most part I was able to just let her be the vehicle for the telling.