All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda

 

Megan Miranda has been on my radar for a while because she seems to write the types of mysteries I love to read: small town setting with flawed female protagonists who have to return to their birthplace after some kind of trauma or tragedy. In this case, Nic is called to take care of her father's house following his dementia, but it ends up becoming a missing persons case that echoes a similar one from her teen years.

One of the interesting elements of this mystery is the nonlinear storyline. It's told in reverse, and I don't think I've ever read a story that was told backwards like this-- unless THIRTEEN REASONS WHY counts. I liked the novelty although it made the mystery itself a little hard to follow. It was like peeling back an onion that becomes progressively more rotten until you find yourself holding a blackened, stinking core. In Cooley Ridge, secrets run deep.

I liked ALL THE MISSING GIRLS but apart from its unusual mode of storytelling, I didn't think it really stood out from other mysteries of this type. The unreliable narration that comes from the storyline is great, and I think the timeline was expertly handled, but I just wanted more emotion and creepiness and maybe some higher stakes. But I would definitely read more from this author.

3 to 3.5 out of 5 stars