The One I Left Behind by Jennifer McMahon

I can't say exactly how it happened, but Jennifer McMahon has made it onto my list of "auto-read" authors–– the ones whose books I always pick up and enjoy reading. That said, my reading habits were pretty terrible in 2013, and although I picked up The One I Left Behind right when it was released, it took me nearly nine months to finish it (until September). With her next novel, The Winter People, about to release, I knew that it was time to write this review before I get the two confused.

In The One I Left Behind, thirteen year-old Reggie's life changes forever when a serial killer called Neptune takes her mother. It's the killer's last victim, and nobody appears before he disappears forever. Nearly two decades later, Reggie gets a call-- her mother is confused and sick, but alive. Now Reggie has to figure out what happened in order to prevent Neptune from returning.

The One I Left Behind is the fourth book I've read by McMahon, and at this point there are certain things I expect from her books. Basically, I expect vivid settings, a mystery that suddenly becomes important decades later (and the book alternates between when it occurred and the present time), and a strong, female voice to narrate. Occasionally, there is a hint of the paranormal as well.

Despite certain predicable elements, there is something just so engaging and well-written about McMahon's books, and so although I don't think I would reread any, I will definitely keep picking up her new ones. Although it has a few lulls, overall The One I Left Behind had me on edge while I was reading it and wanting to know what happened. It was an intelligent, original, and fun novel to read, one just as much about Reggie and her relationships both as a child and now, as about the serial killer.

Ultimately, The One I Left Behind is successful for the same reason McMahon is, because her storytelling takes fully-fleshed characters that feel authentic and human, and put them in unexpected mystery situations the reader really wants to solve. As long as she keeps doing that, I will keep reading her books!

Release Date: January 2nd, 2013  Pages: 422  Format: ARC
Source: Publisher  Publisher: William Morrow   Buy It: Book Depository

Don't Breathe a Word by Jennifer McMahon

After loving Jennifer McMahon's debut Promise Not To Tell, and enjoying her follow-up The Island of Lost Girls, I was definitely excited to pick up her fourth, and most recent, adult novel Don't Breathe a Word- her third book, Dismantled, is definitely on my To Read list. Like her previous novels, this is a book told in chapters which alternate between the past and present, two mysteries entangled together by one female protagonist. In Don't Breathe a Word, Phoebe, a woman in her thirties, is in love with a much younger man, Sam, a sensible good man who helps her keep the demons of her past at bay. After a troubled childhood, Phoebe can't believe her good fortune, but soon odd, unexplained events begin happening to the couple reminding Phoebe of the first time she saw Sam. That first time, was fifteen years ago when Sam's older sister Lisa disappeared into the woods behind her house and was never seen again. Before Lisa left, she told Sam she was going to meet the King of the Faeries and become his queen. Now, Phoebe and Sam are forced to question their reality as a terrible promise Sam made years ago comes back to haunt them, a promise that may destroy them all.

From the start, Don't Breathe a Word is a wonderful kind of mysterious and creepy that McMahon does so wonderfully well. It also has a tint of fantasy of the kind that appeared in Promise Not to Tell but was absent in The Island of Lost Girls, where events get twisted around and the reader isn't quite sure what is real and what is not. This time though, the fantasy element is the strongest it has been in the books by McMahon I've read, and I'm not sure I was entirely in love with it. The ending of the novel reminded me a bit of an M. Night Shyamalan movie and was perhaps a bit too ambiguous for my liking. The conclusion also felt rushed in comparison to the rest of the book, McMahon spends so much time developing the characters and the story that I wanted things to wrap up a little slower and more completely. That said, I found most of the novel absolutely riveting and McMahon is incredibly skilled at developing page-turning and unexpected mystery.

I really enjoy McMahon's writing style and her ability to create lush rural settings and this book was no exception. The parts of the story that took place in the forest felt vibrant and alive, and she is really able to get into the mind of a child believably. Out of the three books by McMahon I have read so far, her debut Promise Not to Tell remains my favourite but Don't Breathe a Word comes in second. I definitely plan to read Dismantled as well, the only adult novel of hers I haven't picked up yet. If you are looking for a mystery with a fantastical twist and smooth, page-turning prose I definitely recommend delving into McMahon's most recent offering, Don't Breathe a Word- it's just as creepy as the cover would leave you to believe.

Release Date: May 17th, 2011
Pages: 464
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This review was a part of TLC Book Tours. Click here to read what other tour hosts thought. For the purpose of this review I was provided with a copy of the book which did not require a positive review. The opinions expressed in this post are completely my own.

Island of Lost Girls by Jennifer McMahon

Island of Lost Girls by Jennifer McMahon begins when twenty something year old Rhona sees a young girl kidnap by someone dressed as a rabbit, a crime so odd she can't help but watch until it is too late. Heartbroken about failing to act, Rhonda joins the quest to search for the young girl, but it brings up feelings and memoirs about another young girl who disappeared: her childhood best friend Lizzy. Maybe by finding one abductor she can close the story on two missing girls.

After devouring and loving McMahon's debut, Promise Not To Tell, I admit I had high expectations for her follow-up, Island of Lost Girls. While I didn't love this one quite as much, I certainly enjoyed it. I think the main difference from an enjoyment perspective between the two books was that I didn't appreciate the narrator of this novel quite as much. Rhonda is much younger than Kate (the main character of Promise Not To Tell) was, and possibly as a result she often comes across whiny and needy in a way that made me less sympathetic to the struggles she faced. That said, Island of Lost Girls is still a thrilling experience from the unique and spooky mind of McMahon. The story is fast-paced and impossible to put down, and even if you have a little bit of an idea what is coming there were certainly be twists you can't predict thrown into the mix as well. Still, for some reason I found myself not a hundred percent happy with the ending and resolution.

Just like Promise Not To Tell McMahon is perfectly able to capture childhood friendship and the strong relationships that form. Both the characters and the setting are richly developed in Island of Lost Girls, but what really has the reader turning the page is the enchanting yet creepy mystery. The chapters alternate between the past and present storylines, which is a style McMahon does with great skill and ability even if in both cases the main character was one I found lacking. Still, if you are looking for an easy and exciting page turner definitely add Island of Lost Girls to your list, even if McMahon's second novel wasn't quite as flawless as her first she is definitely a writer I will be continuing to watch.

Release Date: April 22nd, 2008
Pages: 272
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This review was a part of TLC Book Tours. Click here to read what other tour hosts thought. For the purpose of this review I was provided with a copy of the book which did not require a positive review. The opinions expressed in this post are completely my own.

Promise Not To Tell by Jennifer McMahon

Promise Not To Tell by Jennifer McMahon begins when forty-one-year-old school nurse Kate Cypher returns home to rural Vermont to care for her aging mother who is suffering from Alzheimer's. Her return home coincides with a brutal murder of a young girl, an event eerily similar to one from Kate's childhood. Thirty years earlier, Kate's best friend Del- nicknamed and bullied as the "Potato Girl"- was killed and the murderer was never found. Still, the legend of the Potato Girl lives on and as a new investigation opens up it will undercover ghosts Kate never imagined.

I'd had my eye on McMahon's books for awhile now, even going as far as to purchase her second novel, Island of Lost Girls, but I hadn't actually read anything by her until I picked up her debut, Promise Not To Tell. What I found was a thrilling mystery that was both creepy and intelligent. McMahon has the reader totally hooked on figuring out what happened to Del and what kind of secrets Kate is keeping- after all, the novel begins with Kate admitting "I killed someone tonight..." before going backwards in time. Not only is the mystery component exciting, but the details of growing up dirt poor, trying to fit in at a new school, even life during the seventies, all felt genuine.

Promise Not To Tell was a deliciously exciting book, as a reader you'll be happy it's only 250 pages because you won't be able to put it down from start to finish. As a ghost story and mystery, McMahon hits the nail on the head especially when it comes to mysterious objects and signs present in the story, things like an old sheriff's bad and an unexplained tattoo which give just the right amount of spookiness to the story. I honestly can't believe I waited so long to pick up a book by McMahon. Overall, Promise Not To Tell is an exciting and creepy novel, easy to devour and liable to leave you looking to pick up McMahon's next book. I will definitely be delving into Island of Lost Girls soon.

Release Date: April 1st, 2007
Pages: 250
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Source:

This review was a part of TLC Book Tours. Click here to read what other tour hosts thought. For the purpose of this review I was provided with a copy of the book which did not require a positive review. The opinions expressed in this post are completely my own.