Title : Cemetery Girl
Author : David Bell
Publication date : October 4th, 2011 by NAL Trade
At first I thought Cemetery Girl to be a horror and ghostly book. It turned out I was wrong. It's from a genre that I (very) rarely read (read : crime) and there isn't anything spooky about it at all. D'oh! Having said that, that's the perk of not picking books randomly, you'd be surprised!.
It has been four years since Tom and Abby's 12 year-old daughter, Caitlin disappeared. Abby believed it was time for them to move on, so she decided that it a tomb stone for Caitlin was needed, as a closure. Tom, in the other hand refused her idea, because Caitlin's whereabouts was unknown, she could very well be alive and deep down he still believed that Caitlin was alive somewhere, waiting to be rescued.
So, to sum it up, this is a book about kidnapping, no ghost involved, regardless of the title. It's a very engaging read Bell is clearly talented in making a page turner book. I like his writing style and it makes me forget that I actually was reading a crime book. My main problem is the characters. All of them are annoying. Tom is so busy acting like a jerk while his wife is a selfish woman and the police acts like a know it all. If only the characters are likeable, I believe Cemetery Girl would be a very awesome book!
I wish there were more twist and turns, anyway, there wasn't much of complexities in the plot. It's a more "emotional" book rather than traditional "riddle" crime book. The impression I got from the cop in this book is like they know everything, they'd dismiss any news from the victim/parents. Does police really work like that? *Shrugs*
As for Abby, I don't know, she got on my nerves every time I read her dialogue. She's not realistic, if you ask me. Why a mother would make a grave for her disappeared (not dead) daughter is beyond me. What kind of mother is that? I think it's ridiculous and I a glad that it's a fiction. The same goes to Tom, he keeps on acting as if he's the one who hurts. Sure, having your child kidnapped must be very devastating, I get it, but acting like a crybaby about it is somewhat lame.
Time for a quote!
At some point, all parents realize their children have layers that remain forever unexplored. Maybe I learned it sooner than most.2 rating for Cemetery Girl. I like the writing style very much but the story and characters don't work. I like the ending though, everything is solved, no unfinished business. I recommend this for those of you who are beginners in crime books or if you are just looking for a light, easy but not funny read.
Over to you! Do you love reading crime books? What crime book that is most memorable to you?
