By: Megan Miranda
Narrator: Inés del Castillo
Simon & Schuster Audio
ISBN: 9781668010440
Publisher: Simon Element
S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books
Publication Date: 04/09/2024
Format: Other
My Rating: 4 Stars
The new thrilling novel from Megan Miranda, the instant New York Times bestselling author of All the Missing Girls, The Last to Vanish, and The Only Survivors.
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.
My Review
Megan Miranda returns following The Only Survivors with her fifteenth novel, DAUGHTER OF MINE— a dark small-town mystery unravels when a woman returns to her hometown to find buried family secrets of the past in this suspenseful atmospheric thriller.
Hazel Sharp grew up in Miracle Lake, North Carolina. Sadly, her mother left when she was 14, leaving her with a detective stepfather, Perry, who raised her with his two boys, close to her age. She is known as police officer Perry Holt's daughter, even though they are not blood-related.
Hazel left the area years ago and has lived in Charlotte, NC, where she has a thriving building/renovation business.
Perry has died and left the family home to Hazel. She is not thrilled about returning to Miracle Lake for the memorial and dealing with the sons, who are unhappy about the inheritance—cutting them out.
As the town gathers to pay respects to Detective Perry Holt, their long-time police officer, a disturbing site appears in the lake.
Hazel is caught in the center of an intense police investigation. The town has suffered from a severe drought, with waters below the lake levels. Shocking, they find an old, unidentifiable car with no plates inside the lake, which appears to have been there for years.
She catches up with Caden and Gage, her Uncle Roy, her old crush and neighbor, Nico, and her old friend, Jamie, who is married to Caden.
Could the car be related to her mom's disappearance years ago?
Other sinister things occur, including break-ins, missing persons, and a second creepy abandoned car. Is someone targeting their family?
As Hazel digs deeper into her family history, dark secrets are peeled back in this small town.What happened to Hazel's mom?
DAUGHTER OF MINE is a slower-paced, atmospheric, and twisty mystery conveyed in four parts, indicating the time and number of days since the drought began.
The weather conditions serve as a backdrop and mirror the extent of suspense and claustrophobia. The drought provides clues to the mystery. As the rain comes, it intensifies the atmosphere, action, and urgency. The author dives deep into the family connections and explores how the past impacts present-day lives.
Megan's DAUGHTER OF MINE is a complex, intense family drama—and, as always, it comes with MM's signature compelling style and spine-chilling settings that contrast from beautiful to terrifying with stunning metaphors, strong themes, and characterizations.
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: April 9, 2024
My Rating: 4 Stars
Praise
"Megan Miranda just keeps getting better. The undisputed master of chilling secrets and twists!" —Laura Dave, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Last Thing He Told Me
"Delicious twists, dark secrets and a deadly past ... Megan Miranda’s Daughter of Mine is her best book yet! I’ve been a fan of Megan’s since All the Missing Girls and this book is like its perfect big sister. If you loved the simmering small town drama of 'Mare of Easttown', then you will be blown away by Daughter of Mine."
—Ashley Elston, New York Times bestselling author of First Lie Wins
“Miranda, a consummate professional when it comes to exposing the small community tensions that naturally arise when people live in close proximity for generations, exposes revelation after twisty revelation…Small-town claustrophobia and intimacies alike propel this twist-filled psychological thriller.”
—Kirkus (starred)
"Megan Miranda’s next thriller is a clever spin on the trend in that it centers on the daughter of a local detective, who returns to her childhood home after inheriting it and begins uncovering secrets that could explain her mother’s disappearance years earlier.”
—BookPage,"Most Anticipated Thrillers of 2024"
“Miranda creates an intense and atmospheric read in which a drought plays perfectly with Hazel’s quest while she tries hard not to drown in elements of her past she wants to forget. Miranda has arguably written her best book to date, and she has another guaranteed best seller on her hands.”
–Library Journal, starred review
About the Author
Photo credit: Ashley Elston
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; The Last to Vanish; and The Only Survivors. 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. Follow @MeganLMiranda on Instagram, @AuthorMeganMiranda on Facebook, or visit MeganMiranda.com.
Her next book, Daughter of Mine, will be published on April 9, 2024, from Simon & Schuster/Marysue Rucci Books.
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