St. Martin's Press | August 2017 | 256 pgs
Source: Library
Fifteen years ago, Miranda Rader was a wild girl from the wrong side of the tracks; aside from that she lies for her benefits and it is no wonder no one believes her when she asked for help on a particular night. Drunk and left stranded on the roadside after a row with her brother’s friend, she hitched a ride with a young couple who looked they were off to somewhere fun. Apparently the guy had an agenda as the next thing Miranda knew she and the other girl were bound prisoners in an isolated place. She managed to make her escape and made a promise to the other girl that she would find help but alas, no one believed her. Miranda didn't know what happened to that other girl and that fateful night has been haunting her all the way towards her adulthood.
Now a PD Detective at her hometown in Louisiana, she is known for her honesty, integrity and steady hand in a crisis and has worked hard to earn the respect of her coworkers and the community. When she and her partner, Jake Billings, are called to investigate a brutal murder of the town most beloved college professor, Miranda finds a piece of evidence which chilled her to the core - it was an old newspaper clipping about that terrible night fifteen years ago. Further investigations have pointed to the murdered professor as a victim of a vengeful murder case, after all he seemed to have charmed many women with his good looks and charisma. Perhaps he had broken one vengeful woman along the way and ended up murdered in cold blood? It was a good assumption but that piece of old clippings keeps nagging on Miranda’s mind. Why did the professor keep that clippings? And most importantly, what is the motive behind his death?
The Other Girl was a fast-paced and an intriguing suspense thriller, and it had me thinking and guessing even though I had a hunch what might have happened. Then again, there are some things which I felt was out of place and disrupted the flow of my reading experience. The chapters are written in a timeline format with a few flashbacks thrown in between the chapters and while I have no problem with this format, I thought the writing was somewhat choppy and then there was the romance between Miranda and Jake. Truth be told, I couldn't connect with them being in a relationship as the feelings they have for each other seemed to be cold and hot to me. Perhaps this was the author's intention but I felt it was unnecessary since nothing major happened between them and I didn't catch any romantic vibes among them.
Overall it was a fast and an enjoyable read except the parts which I had stated. The ending was a little too convenient for my liking but still it was satisfying. I would definitely check out this author's next release.
© 2017 Melody's Reading Corner (https://mel-reading-corner.blogspot.sg/), All Rights Reserved. If you are reading this post from other site(s), please take note that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.
Posts
I don’t know why authors find the need to throw romance in certain stories. Other than that this one sounds good.
I read this as a NetGalley book a while back. Had the same issues you did with it. It had nothing to set it above the many books in the genre in plot, characters, or writing. I didn't abandon it, but neither have I sought out other books by the author. :\
Too bad about the romance part not working. But the rest of the mystery sounds really good. I wish I could remember the other Erica Spindler book I read, but sadly, I don't. :D
Can you imagine the guilt? Interesting set up for Miranda's character. I don't think I've read any Spindler books but this sounds good!
Jenny - I don't mind a little romance in suspense but if it does nothing to the story I'd rather it takes off of the story and go for a romantic suspense instead.
Jenclair - It was a disappointing read but then I'm hoping her next book will be better.
Lark - This is my first Spindler book. I'll have to check out her other books and see which one interest me.
Iliana - Yes, can't imagine the guilt Miranda has to carry till her adulthood. She does make an interesting character though despite some shortcomings of the book.