Megan Miranda – Steph's Book Blog

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About the Book

Having reached a dead-end in Boston, failed journalist Leah Stevens needs a change. When she runs into an old friend, Emmy Grey, who is moving to rural Pennsylvania, Leah decides to join her. But their fresh start is quickly threatened when a woman with an eerie resemblance to Leah is assaulted by the lake, and Emmy disappears days later.
Determined to find Emmy, Leah helps Detective Kyle Donovan to investigate her friend’s life for clues. But with no friends, family or digital footprint, the police begin to suspect that there is no Emmy Grey. Forced to question her version of reality and to save herself, Leah must uncover the truth – no matter how dark or terrible it may be…

My Review

With thanks to the publisher for the copy received.

I was looking forward to reading The Perfect Stranger having enjoying reading All The Missing Girls.
After Leah is forced to leave the career that she loves she is encouraged by an old university friend, Emmy, to accompany her to Pennsylvania. She becomes a teacher and is adapting to her new life when the attack on the woman who looks like her followed immediately by the disappearance of Emmy puts her on edge.
It is a novel that has you questioning everything. Does Emmy exist? How much do the students know? Can Kyle be trusted? And most importantly, how reliable a narrator is Leah?
At first I struggled to answer any of these questions. It was only in the second half of the book when I started to have any faith in my judgement. As more is revealed you realise how desperate Leah must have been to live with a woman who she knew nothing about. She was putting her faith in somebody who was a salvation when life reached critical point when they were at university. But was she relying on the wrong person? Why is Emmy so insistent on nobody being able to find her?
It is a novel where no characters stood out as being ones to like or dislike, even though I did like Leah more as I got to know and understand her. There is one, however, who I had anticipated disliking from the moment I met them. That is, until I realised I had been wrong footed. I am sure I won’t be the only one who had this character as a troublemaker only to see their true personality later in the novel.
A good follow-up novel with a fantastic ending. I will definitely read more books by this author.

The Perfect Stranger can be purchased here

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About the Book

It’s been ten years since Nicolette Farrell left her rural hometown after her best friend, Corinne, disappeared without trace. Then a letter from her father arrives – ‘I need to talk to you. That girl. I saw that girl.’ Has her father’s dementia worsened, or has he really seen Corinne? Returning home, Nicolette must finally face what happened on that terrible night all those years ago. Then, another young woman goes missing, almost to the day of the anniversary of when Corinne vanished. And like ten years ago, the whole town is a suspect. Told backwards – Day 15 to Day 1 – Nicolette works to unravel the truth, revealing shocking secrets about her friends, her family, and what really happened to Corinne. Like nothing you’ve ever read before, All the Missing Girls is a brilliantly plotted debut thriller that will leave you breathless.

My Review

All the Missing Girls, apart from being a well written novel is unique. It starts off just like every other novel I’ve ever read but then after the introduction goes to Day 15 in the investigation into the disappearance of Annaleise. Subsequent chapters countdown to day one where everything is revealed.
I found it very strange to read at first, I had to resist the temptation to start at the back of the book and read towards the beginning. As I got further in, however I’m glad I went with the way the author wanted. There were a couple of times I had to flick back but they did lessen as I progressed.
I loved the description of the area, the people, even the accent that Nic did her best to disguise. I didn’t like Everett at all. I thought him cold, elitist and controlling. His only redeeming grace was that he was the only character in the entire book who had to be innocent.
Did it work? Yes, in hindsight it did, helped by the beauty of the writing, the characterisation and the story which was very powerful. I don’t think it would have the same impact if it had been a conventional novel. I had no idea at all who was responsible for anything that had happened either in the past or the present and I like to think that it was a happy ending.
I have never read any of Megan Miranda’s previous books which I gather are a different genre but I would be interested in the future. I would like to thank the publisher for the copy received and the introduction to a new author to read.