When Eleanor Blackwood was 6 years old, her mother was brutally strangled in the woods next to their hamlet. Ellie ran like her mother told her to, but she returned and found her mothers body. 18 years later it is the anniversary of her mother's murder. In defiance, she goes for a run in the woods to the spot where it happened so long ago. There, she finds the body of a young woman, also strangled, with the number 3 written in black ink on her forehead. She runs as fast as she can and contacts the police, but when they return the body is gone. They believe she is cracking up, she knows what she saw. Days later, with her on again-off again boyfriend, Tris, they uncover another body in the woods. This one is marked number 2. Now the police believe her, but she doesn't know who to trust, because she is pretty sure she is girl number one.
This was a psychological thriller that had action and suspense right out of the gate. It started off strong and I was completely hooked, until about halfway through the book. The main character, Eleanor, I think is supposed to be an unreliable narrator. But she never was. It was obvious she wasn't crazy, although she was way paranoid. She thought that every man in her life was the killer. Even when there wasn't any reason to think that. The killer is blatantly obvious, and of course the only man she doesn't suspect. The mystery was just way too easy. The author attempted to through in 4 or 5 red herrings, but it was just to obvious.
I rated this 3 stars because I truly liked the beginning and the idea was great. It just seemed to lose steam at the halfway point. Even Eleanor seemed to be strange. One of her best friends disappears, so she goes surfing with her friends? I don't know. Maybe I should've went with a 2...
* I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review *
This was a psychological thriller that had action and suspense right out of the gate. It started off strong and I was completely hooked, until about halfway through the book. The main character, Eleanor, I think is supposed to be an unreliable narrator. But she never was. It was obvious she wasn't crazy, although she was way paranoid. She thought that every man in her life was the killer. Even when there wasn't any reason to think that. The killer is blatantly obvious, and of course the only man she doesn't suspect. The mystery was just way too easy. The author attempted to through in 4 or 5 red herrings, but it was just to obvious.
I rated this 3 stars because I truly liked the beginning and the idea was great. It just seemed to lose steam at the halfway point. Even Eleanor seemed to be strange. One of her best friends disappears, so she goes surfing with her friends? I don't know. Maybe I should've went with a 2...
* I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review *
