Uh oh. Slap me on the failboat and ship me off full steam ahead. I have certainly not kept up with my goals of posting my reviews. That said, here we are, back and rolling again.
Title: Island of Lost Girls
Author: Jennifer McMahon
Reading Level: Easy, fast read, nice commute book
Amazon Average Rating: 3.5
My Rating: 3.5
Sample writing style: "Rhonda Farr had two Peters in her life: The Peter she loved but could not have, and now the white rabbit, which she, not unlike Alice in Wonderland, seemed destined to chase down the hole. But Alice's rabbit was not named Peter."
Sample writing style: "Rhonda Farr had two Peters in her life: The Peter she loved but could not have, and now the white rabbit, which she, not unlike Alice in Wonderland, seemed destined to chase down the hole. But Alice's rabbit was not named Peter."
Island of Lost Girls was a fast-paced story that I was able to read in about two days during my hour-long commute to work each way. It had enough suspense and mystery to help me ignore and avoid all the crazies you run into when riding public transportation, and I liked that it was so easy to read; various distractions did not interrupt my enjoyment or understanding of the book. There's nothing I hate more than having to reread paragraphs multiple times because someone next to me is yakking loudly on a cellphone.
So onto the story. Briefly, the novel centers around the kidnapping of a little girl at the Mini Mart. Rhonda Farr, a recent college graduate, stops into the Mart and witnesses a man in a white rabbit costume kidnapping a young child and is helpless to prevent it. What follows is her guilt, her memories of her childhood, and of course, the unravelling of the mystery.
The story bounces back and forth between Rhonda's childhood memories, playing with her first-crush (Peter), Lizzie (Peter's sister), and Tock (now Peter's girlfriend), and the present-day situation of finding the little girl. McMahon tries to link the two by drawing upon an Easter Egg hunt that the children took part in. Some of it seemed a bit contrived. The beginning is a bit rocky and confusing, but stick it out - later chapters tie everything together pretty well. The childhood portion revolves around a play the summer play the children are putting together (Peter Pan).
There's a lot going on in this one, and I don't want to ruin any surprises. However, within these pages, you will find the mystery of one of the fathers in the story who disappeared when Rhonda was a child, and then the disappearance of Lizzie, which soon follows, along with the outcome of the rabbit-kidnapping. And yes, all of these mysteries get resolved.
I wasn't too much of a fan of the protagonist, or any other characters for that matter. Some of them were a bit obnoxious. But, I never saw the twist at the end coming. I had many guesses, but they were all wrong. Figures.
Everything gets tied up quite neatly in the end: almost too neatly. That being said, I do recommend giving it a read if you like mysteries/thrillers and need something to pass the time. This is a fantastic read for your lunch hour, commute, or waiting room visits. Don't expect anything too profound or heavy here, but if you want a fast-paced, engaging thriller, give it a shot!
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