Why She Ran
by Geraldine Hogan
‘Rachel. They must have made a mistake. A mother would know?’ She let her words pour into the emptiness of the kitchen. She began to shiver. ‘I can’t feel anything,’ she said softly and rocked back and forth, as if she was a huge child, seeking solace in the simple gesture.
When young, pretty nurse Rachel McDermott is found murdered in the harsh lights of the hospital kitchen where she works, her mother can’t accept the news, and the small Irish town of Corbally reels in disbelief. Rushing to the scene, Detective Iris Locke vows to find the sick killer, whatever it takes.
The last person to see Rachel alive was her close friend, sixteen-year-old Eleanor Marshall, a troubled teenager, estranged from her family. Eleanor was spotted fleeing the kitchen where Rachel’s body was found and becomes the main suspect. Iris has a search party combing the endless woods near the Comeragh mountains where they believe she is hiding. But Iris is consumed with worry for the vulnerable girl and can’t shake a prickly disquiet that Eleanor shouldn’t be a suspect.
Eleanor’s sister agrees but a day later, when she is found dead in the area Eleanor is hiding, things don’t look good for the runaway teen. Iris can’t see Eleanor, who still sleeps with her childhood teddy bear, as someone who would kill her little sister and her best friend, but all the evidence seems to point that way.
Sleep-deprived and desperate to find the truth, Iris takes a closer look into Rachel’s background and discovers that she was keeping strange, shadowy company the night before she died. Convinced that Eleanor is in terrible danger, Iris sets out to find her, in the icy-cold woods, alone. But what if somebody else makes their way through the darkness and reaches Iris and Eleanor first?
This gripping mystery thriller is perfect for fans of Carol Wyer, Robert Dugoni and LJ Ross.
My Rating:
Favorite Quotes:
Even the way Pardy pecked her way around her food got right under Iris’s skin. Never trust a woman who doesn’t enjoy her food, or a woman who wants sergeant stripes so badly she’d walk over anyone to get them. Jo Pardy ate like a mouse, rationing it out in tiny bites, a speck here, a crumb there; at times almost bovine-like back chewing went on, and sometimes it was all Iris could do to stop herself force-feeding the girl a half a dozen biscuits at once just to get it over with.
He’d only searched for it half-heartedly, after all, where Slattery came from, real men didn’t wear jewellery –apart from the Bishop, but then since he wore robes that resembled an old woman’s dress, he was hardly the most obvious male role model.
I think Kit Marshall would sell his granny for a bunch of hydrangeas so he could come up smelling of flowers, that’s all.’
The words floated for a second or two in the air between them, like soft bubbles, perfect, honest. They’d never fit back in their box again.
Maureen was just sixty, but she was an old-fashioned sixty, with tweed skirts and a fondness for headscarves, knotted into submission between her first and second chin.
She’s as mad as a bag of weasels.
My Review:
I was once again in awe not only of her Ms. Hogan’s oddly compelling plot and storylines but also of her wily character development and captivating storytelling. Her evocative word choices and unique, keenly honed, and striking arrangements of words and ancillary details sparked sharp and smoothly calibrated visuals to scroll through my gray matter. The little pea in my brain must have been smoking and was definitely singed while working through this well-crafted, multi-layered, and complex tale that slowly and slyly unraveled with an unpredictable ending I never saw coming.
I admire and covet Ms. Hogan's word skills and craftiness as much as I adore her oddly enticing, deeply flawed, strong, complicated, peculiarly intriguing and irresistible characters - who were so well developed and vividly described they virtually leapt from the page. I eagerly anticipate delving into more engaging and suspenseful tales from this talented scribe.
I admire and covet Ms. Hogan's word skills and craftiness as much as I adore her oddly enticing, deeply flawed, strong, complicated, peculiarly intriguing and irresistible characters - who were so well developed and vividly described they virtually leapt from the page. I eagerly anticipate delving into more engaging and suspenseful tales from this talented scribe.
About The Author
Silent Night is her first crime novel, her second is due out in December 2019.
She is currently working on her next novel. She lives in the west of Ireland with her husband, four children, and a very busy Labrador named Penny. She's a writer, reader, enthusiastic dog walker, and reluctant jogger - except of course when it is raining!
You can find out more about Geraldine here:
Twitter @gerhogan
https://www.instagram.com/faithhoganauthor/
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