AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A USA TODAY BESTSELLER
Book Blurb:
When Hazel Sharp, daughter of Mirror Lake’s longtime local detective, unexpectedly inherits her childhood home, she’s warily drawn back to the town—and people—she left behind almost a decade earlier. But Hazel’s not the only relic of the past to return: a drought has descended on the region, and as the water level in the lake drops, long-hidden secrets begin to emerge…including evidence that may help finally explain the mystery of her mother’s disappearance.
Riveting and suspenseful, Daughter of Mine is Megan Miranda’s best novel yet, filled with “delicious twists, dark secrets, and a deadly past” (Ashley Elston, New York Times bestselling author of First Lie Wins) that will keep you listening late into the night.
My Review:
Not my first dance with Megan Miranda and her style of writing–slow burn dark family secrets held tightly to the chest with closed fists and set determined jaw. I found much the same in The Last to Vanish.
The first and most obvious twist in this novel is the way the author sets out the timeline and chapters, fusing Hazel Sharp’s story with an area-wide ongoing drought and beginning each chapter with the number of days without rain. Indeed, it’s changing the landscape of her childhood home and Mirror Lake is now revealing secrets that directly impact her.
Hazel has returned after her father dies to discover, and to her brother’s shock, that he left his home and property to her—not them. She is bewildered; they are disgusted. It’s not as if they were ever close as step-siblings.
Her father was a respected law enforcement officer of the community when her mother up and left—never to return. The devastation and feelings of abandonment have never really left. But the cars being exposed by receding waters have opened a shocking new twist to the story—what really happened to her mother?
Clever, the way the chapters add atmospheric tension to the plot as Hazel grapples with her brothers over the home and now whether or not her dad might have had something to do with her mother’s disappearance. The heat causes rise to short tempers; everyone is on edge.
While there was interest in the storyline, I could not fully engage with Hazel nor wrap my head around the backstories of her brothers…(I don’t remember them ever being designated as “step”). So many family secrets, not much of a bond. She and her mother came rather late in their family story.
Lose attention until the next little twist, then re-engage. It’s a weird family dynamic. Once the rain begins the pace rushes into denouement and it’s over. Eh, okay. If you are an MM fan, then you may find this of interest with the way she’s noted chapter headings or you appreciate her build of tension. I just needed it to move a little faster, I guess.
I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts.
Rosepoint Publishing: Three point Five Stars 
Book Details:
Genre: Psychological Thrillers, Suspense
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
ASIN: B0C7YD57GS
Listening Length: 10 hrs 27 mins
Narrator: Inés del Castillo
Publication Date: April 9, 2024
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: Daughter of Mine [Amazon-US]
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
The Author: Megan Miranda is the New York Times bestselling author of All the Missing Girls; The Perfect Stranger; The Last House Guest, a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick; The Girl from Widow Hills; Such a Quiet Place; and The Last to Vanish. She has also written several books for young adults. She grew up in New Jersey, graduated from MIT, and lives in North Carolina with her husband and two children.
Her next book, The Only Survivors, will be published on April 11th, 2023.
Follow @MeganLMiranda on Instagram, @AuthorMeganMiranda on Facebook, or visit http://www.meganmiranda.com
©2024 V Williams
Headphones courtesy Racool Studio
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