Författarbild

Joseph Souza

Författare till The Neighbor

8 verk 154 medlemmar 10 recensioner

Om författaren

Inkluderar namnet: Joseph Souza

Serier

Verk av Joseph Souza

The Neighbor (2018) 66 exemplar
Pray for the Girl (2019) 25 exemplar
The Reawakening (2012) 22 exemplar
The Perfect Daughter (2020) 16 exemplar
The Liger Plague (2013) 10 exemplar
Unpaved Surfaces (2015) 8 exemplar
Need To Find You (2016) 6 exemplar
Darpocalypse (2013) 1 exemplar

Taggad

Allmänna fakta

Det finns inga Allmänna fakta än om den här författaren. Du kan lägga till några.

Medlemmar

Recensioner

The Perfect Daughter by Joseph Souza is a recommended mystery set in Shepherd’s Bay, Maine.

High school juniors Katie Eaves and her friend Willow Briggs fail to come home after a night out. When Katie still doesn't come home and Willow's parents haven't seen the girls, Katie's mother Isla is very worried, especially since another teen is still missing after several months. Isla contacts officer Karl Bjornson and search parties are organized. When Katie is found battered and with no memory of what happened. Isla is thankful her daughter is okay, but hopeful that she will remember something to help her friend Willow.

A huge division is already present in the town where long-time residents are resentful of the affluent newcomers who have bought up all the waterfront property, and, well, puttin' on airs because of their wealth. Katie is a townie, her mother is a hairdresser and her father is a loser/entrepreneur/mostly absent. Willow's family are wealthy transplants from L.A.. Rumors are swirling now about the wild parties held at the Briggs' house. Katie still doesn't remember anything and Isla already has her hands full with her son, husband, and father.

The story is told through multiple points-of-view, with each chapter narrated by Isla, Karl, or Katie. The characters are well developed, although not entirely believable as real people. Isla's plate is full with her family and job, but I was more than annoyed with her obsequious behavior toward the wealth newcomers because they brought her in some new business. I would think you could be polite and courteous to all of your clients rather than setting one group aside as more important based on their income. Additionally Katie didn't come across as a junior in high school in her inner dialogue. Included in the narrative is plenty of information about Isla's and Karl's past.

The novel does have plenty of secrets, but it moves along quickly. The question of who-dun-it is not a huge nail biter since they can likely be pointed out by many readers almost right away. This is a novel to sit down and read quickly in one sitting just to past the time. It's interesting enough to pass the time but ultimately will be forgettable to many readers. Those with a tie to Maine and the coastal areas being developed by wealthy outsiders might find more to relate to. Another 3.5 rounded down.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Kensington.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2020/04/the-perfect-daughter.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3309094395
… (mer)
½
 
Flaggad
SheTreadsSoftly | Apr 29, 2020 |
Lucy Abbott has returned home to Fawn Grove after being away for over fifteen years. First she served in Afghanistan, then she was a very successful sous chef in New York. When she hears of the murder if a fifteen-year-old Muslim girl, she is driven by memories and even voices to go back to Fawn Grove to get to the bottom of things.

Lucy does not have it easy, but her cousin gladly provides her a home in order to help her to adjust. This is a blessing, because things are more than awful. Not only is Lucy dealing with PTSD and other traumas due to the war, there are secrets and hatred in the town. Lucy is very pained by the racial inequality that is so prevalent.

This was a very sensitive story. This passage provides insight about the protagonist. “Was broken in more ways than one, What person in their right mind would want to be with a woman like me? A tortured mind to go along with a tortured body. Two prosthetics that hid my sorry past, although they were the least of my secrets. Then so close to a dishonorable discharge before the incident that cost me my legs. I spent two brutal years recovering at Walter Reed. Who in their right mind would want someone like me sleeping next to them at night?”

Lucy begins asking questions and befriends Dalton, the detective handling the case. Although she has very good reasons for keeping him at arm’s length, she is very drawn to him. Before long, another teen is found murdered. Eventually things get very dangerous for Lucy and she makes a very difficult decision.

What an effective read! I was completely drawn in by Lucy. In no way, however, was I expecting the massive twist that occurred during this story. There were some doubts about her as I read, especially as this story was delivered in first person. Despite my shock, I kept on reading with eager anticipation for the identification of the murderer of the girl, but also for Lucy to find peace in her life.

Pray for the Girl is a very well-rounded book. I have never read anything by Joseph Souza before, but I enjoyed this book so much that I am eager to place his backlist in my TBR. If he writes other stories that are equally as twisted as this book, then consider me a fan.

Many thanks to Kensington Books and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.
… (mer)
 
Flaggad
RobinLovesReading | 2 andra recensioner | Oct 25, 2019 |
Pray for the Girl by Joseph Souza

My, oh my, OH MY! What a book this ended up being! The title had me wondering and as I read I realized that more than one girl in this story needed a whole lot of prayers!

As I began to read I thought, “why is a man writing in first person about a woman who is a double amputee war veteran with so many issues? How can he relate?” but I kept reading. I then wondered why so many people in Fawn Grove, Maine seemed so strange or messed up. I next wondered who Jaxon was and why his death was so traumatic and so difficult to discuss for Lucy. I also wondered about narrator Lucy’s relationship to many of the people in the story from the relatives she was staying with to friends she once had in the town. I kept with it and wondered and thought and worried about the narrator and who was behind the murders and scratched my head a few times but when Lucy became a victim I really wondered what would happen next. And what happened was part two of the book and some of the questions I had were suddenly answered and I become even more embroiled in the book. As layers were peeled away and I got to know the characters better I kept hoping for a happy ending for someone in the story and though my main favorite does come through better off than I expected, more integrated and perhaps stronger – I did worry as I closed the book not knowing whether or not that would remain true forever.

Did I like this book? YES!
Would I read more by this author? Definitely!
Why did I like it? It was well written, made me think and care and kept me guessing to the end

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars
… (mer)
 
Flaggad
CathyGeha | 2 andra recensioner | May 5, 2019 |
This was a story that I wasn’t sure I was going to finish. It took a long time for the storyline to come together. The were several twists and turns, but I was able to figure out the players early, so it lost some of its suspense. Ala in all it was a good story, just not one that I can highly recommend.
 
Flaggad
BookLove80 | 2 andra recensioner | Apr 30, 2019 |

Priser

Statistik

Verk
8
Medlemmar
154
Popularitet
#135,795
Betyg
½ 3.7
Recensioner
10
ISBN
26

Tabeller & diagram