3.5 Stars
This
thriller is set in rural Alberta and Vancouver.
The three Campbell girls (Dani, Courtney, and Jess) have to flee after
an incident involving their abusive alcoholic father. Enroute to Vancouver, they stop in Cash
Creek, a small town where they encounter Brian and Gavin Luxton, and things go
from bad to worse.
The second
half of the novel finds the girls in Vancouver 18 years later, living with new
identities; they have become Dallas, Crystal and Jamie. Crystal disappears and Jamie’s daughter,
Skylar, sets off to find her aunt whom she believes has gone to Cash Creek on a
revenge mission.
The first
part of the book is narrated by Jess, the youngest sister; the second part adds
chapters narrated by Skylar, her daughter.
The novel
is fast-paced and action-packed so readers looking for a thriller will not be
disappointed. Some of the sections are
difficult to read: there are graphic descriptions of violence made even more
horrific because the narrators are young girls.
An issue I
have with the book is characterization.
Brian and Gavin are pure evil; they have no redeeming qualities so they
are not convincing characters. The fact
that they reside in a small town where everyone knows everyone’s business makes
their hidden activities unrealistic.
Other supporting characters tend to be the opposite: too good to be true.
The
characterization is also problematic when it comes to the three sisters. They have been raised to be tough. They have few illusions about life and people
so their stupid and risky and naïve decisions just do not ring true. And Skylar makes the same poor choices!
The aspect
of the book that is a definite positive is its examination of the bond between
sisters. The three girls love each other
and remain loyal regardless of what an individual sister does. They are survivors because of this bond that
gives them strength.
There is a
great deal of tension, but the plot is rather predictable and the characterization
is weak.
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