Take a photo of a barcode or cover
janepierce 's review for:
Where the Truth Lies
by Anna Bailey
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Abigail "Abi" Blake goes missing in Whistling Ridge, a small town in Colorado, we follow the people closest to her as they try to work out what has happened. Secrets are revealed as we learn more about each character and their checkered past lives.
This book feels like it's split in half. The first half, for me, was slow and difficult to follow. The character map was foggy. We had reveals without much build up and a plot that plodded forward. By the halfway mark, we'd picked up steam and it felt like the story really came to life. We finally actually hear from Abi, and plot points start to feel less disjointed.
If you're looking for a thriller that has lots of twists, gimmicks, and guessing games this might not be satisfying to you. Similarly, if you would like to read a book mostly centered on the missing person and the search for that person, this book may feel too dispersed. However, if you're okay with a dissection of small town life, dogmatic belief systems, and romantic relationships and how they fail, this would be enjoyable.
I especially enjoyed the discussion of religion in a small town. Mob mentality occurs, we learn about the outdated views on marriage, relationships, raising children, and femininity, and we see the town split clearly into an "us vs them" dichotomy.
The author, Anna Bailey, specifically based this book on her time in small town America, and it feels like the fact that it is a thriller is an afterthought. I am looking forward to reading more from Bailey and hoping for more general and literary fiction since the cultural discussions in this book were beautifully woven into the story.
This book feels like it's split in half. The first half, for me, was slow and difficult to follow. The character map was foggy. We had reveals without much build up and a plot that plodded forward. By the halfway mark, we'd picked up steam and it felt like the story really came to life. We finally actually hear from Abi, and plot points start to feel less disjointed.
If you're looking for a thriller that has lots of twists, gimmicks, and guessing games this might not be satisfying to you. Similarly, if you would like to read a book mostly centered on the missing person and the search for that person, this book may feel too dispersed. However, if you're okay with a dissection of small town life, dogmatic belief systems, and romantic relationships and how they fail, this would be enjoyable.
I especially enjoyed the discussion of religion in a small town. Mob mentality occurs, we learn about the outdated views on marriage, relationships, raising children, and femininity, and we see the town split clearly into an "us vs them" dichotomy.
The author, Anna Bailey, specifically based this book on her time in small town America, and it feels like the fact that it is a thriller is an afterthought. I am looking forward to reading more from Bailey and hoping for more general and literary fiction since the cultural discussions in this book were beautifully woven into the story.