Book Review: Following a vicious attack, a woman solves her own murder in Holly Jackson novel
This is the first adult suspense novel by Jackson, the author of popular young-adult fiction including 'A Good Girl's Guide to Murder,' and it is emotionally wrenching from start to finish.
The unforgettable protagonist is Jet Mason, a 27-year-old woman still living with her parents in Woodstock, Vermont. She's can't seem to get her life started — has never finished anything including law school. 'I'll do it later,' she always says. 'I have plenty of time.'
But she doesn't.
Returning home after a Halloween party, she is attacked, her skull smashed with a hammer. When she wakes up in the hospital, she receives shocking news. Her surgeon was unable to remove a tiny bone fragment resting against a major blood vessel in her brain. If it remains there, it will cause a fatal brain aneurysm within seven days. If they try to remove it, they must act now, but she has only a remote chance of survival.
Her doctor tells her that she must choose.
Jet decides against surgery. With just seven days left, she is determined to finally finish something. Before she dies, she will solve her own murder.
Leaving home to escape her mother's constant pleas to have the surgery, Jet teams up with Billy, a sweet young man who has loved her since they were children, and together they set out to unmask the killer.
Jet never imagined that she had enemies, but before long the police have arrested JJ, a former boyfriend who had never gotten over her. All but sure the police got it wrong, Jet persists, uncovering a series of family and small-town secrets that reveal an abundance of motives and suspects.
The result is a fast-paced, intensely suspenseful race against time populated by an impressive collection of well-drawn characters. And in the end, the young woman who never finished anything emerges as a model of intelligence, courage, resilience and decency.
___
Bruce DeSilva, winner of the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Award, is the author of the Mulligan crime novels including 'The Dread Line.'
___
AP book reviews: https://apnews.com/hub/book-reviews
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
9 minutes ago
- Yahoo
American Eagle Defends Sydney Sweeney Ad Amid Uproar: ‘Great Jeans Look Good on Everyone'
"'Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans' is and always was about the jeans," the brand says American Eagle is standing firmly behind its Sydney Sweeney ad campaign that has caused an uproar on social media and cable news over the last few days, saying the campaign 'is and always was about the jeans.' 'We'll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone,' the company said on social media. More from TheWrap American Eagle Defends Sydney Sweeney Ad Amid Uproar: 'Great Jeans Look Good on Everyone' Matthew Loeb Secures Another Term as IATSE International President at Union Convention Kevin Costner's 'Horizon' Settles Breach of Contract Lawsuit Over $350,000 in Unpaid Costume Fees 'Golden Bachelor' Star Mel Owens Says He 'Deserved' Backlash Over Ageist Comments Controversy erupted online last week after Sweeney's ad started making the rounds. In the spot, Sweeney touts herself for having great jeans – a play on the actress' genes. Other billboards for the campaign show her painting over the statement 'Sydney Sweeney has great genes' with 'jeans.' Some online have called the ad tone-deaf saying it celebrates her whiteness and thinness. Many viral comments deriding the ad brought up arguments that it's not only subtly promoting white supremacy but also eugenics, and nazi and master race propaganda. This outcry led to right-wing pundits and even the White House commenting on the issue. Trump's communication manager Steven Cheung called the reaction 'cancel culture run amok.' 'This warped, moronic and dense liberal thinking is a big reason why Americans voted the way they did in 2024,' he wrote on X. 'They're tired of this bulls–t.' More to come… Watch the original ad below. The post American Eagle Defends Sydney Sweeney Ad Amid Uproar: 'Great Jeans Look Good on Everyone' appeared first on TheWrap.
Yahoo
9 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Ex-Food Network star Paula Deen closes Georgia restaurants abruptly
Culinary star Paula Deen has abruptly shut off the burners at her popular Georgia restaurants. The former Food Network and bestselling cookbook author host announced Friday the sudden closure of the Savannah eatery that launched her to fame with its menu of Southern soul food staples. For nearly three decades, Deen ran The Lady & Sons restaurant with her two sons, Jamie and Bobby. The eatery continued to attract a loyal fan base long after the Food Network canceled her show amid a racism scandal. The 'Queen of Southern Cuisine' announced on Friday that she was pulling the plug on the signature restaurant, along with her shop The Chicken Box, which opened in 2023. 'Hey, y'all, my sons and I made the heartfelt decision that Thursday, July 31st, was the last day of service for The Lady & Sons and The Chicken Box,' Deen said in a statement. 'Thank you for all the great memories and for your loyalty over the past 36 years,' she continued in the note also shared on social media. The family plans to shift their focus on its four remaining eateries, the Paula Deen's Family Kitchen chain, with locations in Pigeon Forge and Nashville, Tennessee; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; and Branson, Missouri. The Deens will plan to visit the Branson outpost on Aug. 8. Deen became a household name after the Food Network debuted 'Paula's Home Cooking' in 2002. The basic cable channel pulled the plug on the show in 2013 amid fallout from a lawsuit by a former employee. A transcript of Deen answering questions under oath in a legal deposition became public, which included her admitting to using the N-word. Her expansive business portfolio cratered as brand deals with Sears, Kmart and J. C. Penney, Smithfield Foods, Walmart, Target, Caesars Entertainment, QVC and the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk all were terminated. Publisher Random House also severed ties with Deen a year after it signed a lucrative five-book deal. She attempted a television comeback by competing on 'Dancing with the Stars' in 2015 and later served as a guest judge on chef Gordon Ramsay's 'MasterChef: Legends.' In 2020, the conservative-leaning Fox Nation began streaming 'At Home With Paula Deen.'
Yahoo
9 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Ghislaine Maxwell moved to a minimum-security prison camp, authorities say
Jeffrey Epstein's former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell has been moved to a minimum-security prison camp in Texas, officials have said. is serving a 20-year sentence after being convicted of helping traffic and sexually abuse underage girls in 2021. She was being held at a low-security prison in Tallahassee, Florida, that housed men and women. The federal Bureau of Prisons said on Friday that Maxwell has been transferred to a prison camp in Bryan, Texas, but did not explain the circumstances. Her lawyer confirmed the move but also declined to discuss the reasons for it. The Texas camp houses solely female prisoners, the majority of whom are serving time for nonviolent offences and white-collar crimes, Sky's US partner NBC News reports. Minimum-security federal prison camps house inmates considered to be the lowest security risk and some facilities do not even have fences. A senior administration official told NBC: "Any false assertion this individual was given preferential treatment is absurd. "Prisoners are routinely moved in some instances due to significant safety and danger concerns." Maxwell has received renewed attention in recent weeks, after the US Justice Department said it would not be releasing the so-called 'Epstein files'. The department said a review of the Epstein case had found "no incriminating 'client list'" and "no credible evidence" the jailed financier - who killed himself in prison in 2019 - had blackmailed famous men. Read more: Officials from the Trump administration have since tried to cast themselves as promoting transparency in the case. Last month, they lodged a request to unseal grand jury transcripts - - and Maxwell was last week by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. Epstein survivor's family criticises move Maxwell's move to a lower security facility has been criticised by the family of Epstein abuse survivor Virginia Giuffre, who , and accusers Annie and Maria Farmer. They said in a statement: "It is with horror and outrage that we object to the preferential treatment convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell has received. "Ghislaine Maxwell is a sexual predator who physically assaulted minor children on multiple occasions, and she should never be shown any leniency. "Yet, without any notification to the Maxwell victims, the government overnight has moved Maxwell to a minimum security luxury prison in Texas." The statement concluded: "This move smacks of a cover up. The victims deserve better."
