Emily ElgarReseñas

Non propriamente esaltante e alquanto triste, anche nel finale. Effettive tre stelle e mezzo.

I got lost a lot during this book. Something didn’t quite click with me, although I found the story interesting. It’s hard to recall much about it just hours after finishing it.

Grace is Gone is a plot-driven mystery and suspense novel inspired by real-life events pulled straight from the news headlines. If you are a true crime fanatic, there might not be a lot of surprises for you with this one, but otherwise, this is a page-turner that dives into not only a crime but also a mental disorder.

Although there wasn't a lot of intrigue for me because I was previously familiar with this case, I enjoyed Elgar's writing style immensely and the characters were well developed which I always appreciate in this genre of writing. Her writing was simple yet incredibly purposeful. I love the balance of suspense, family dynamics and life in a small town and is a great reminder of the question, who can you really trust?

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was another well written book from Emily Elgar. However, I was able to figure what was actually going on with Grace and Meg almost immediately. It was simply another fictionalized version of the Gypsy Rose and DeeDee Blanchard story, just like Darling Rose Gold. If you are unfamiliar with the story of the Blanchards or haven't read Darling Rose Gold, you will probably enjoy this book more than I did.

Review This small town mystery certainly was addictive! Various view points and diary entries tell the story of a missing disabled young girl and of a town searching for her and answers. Compelling to the very twisted ending. 3.5 stars and another .5 for the last 50 pages!!

This book was an easy, relaxing read Although you get a feel for it early on it still holds your attention throughout. I would recommend this book if you want a quick read that you know what is going to happen and are just along for the rise. I enjoyed it.

This book was mildly interesting - not the riveting thriller that it appears to be. Meg Nichols and her daughter Grace live in Ashford, Cornwall, where everybody knows the loving mother-daughter team: Meg, who selflessly cares for her ailing daughter, and Grace, who stays positive in spite of her many inexplicable illnesses. When Meg is found brutally murdered and Grace is missing, the entire community pulls together to find the missing teen. Grace's best friend Cara teams up with Jon, a reporter, to try to unravel the mystery of Grace's disappearance and to find out who would want to murder everyone's most loved mom.

The book took a while to get going, and that was frustrating, because I wanted to get to the meat of the story. Also, alas, I had this mystery figured out pretty early on, so the two twists in the book ended up not being twists at all for me. The writing was good, and telling the story from different characters' points of view kept things interesting, but overall the book just did not grab me. It wasn't bad - just wasn't great.

Grace is Gone is a nice twisty mystery about Meg and Grace Nichols. The setting is Cornwall in a peaceful small town. Cara Dorman is the neighbor of these two, Meg is the mother and Grace is the very ill 17 year old daughter.

Cara is banging away at the door to drop off a bag of clothes for Grace when she makes a shocking discovery.
As she makes her way into the house calling out for Meg, she finds Grace's wheelchair overturned, Grace is no where in sight and Meg is dead in her bed. Her head is bashed in so obviously it's murder. Where is Grace? Did Meg's violent ex-husband kidnap her?

The story is told from two points of view, Cara the neighbor and Jon, an investigative reporter. There is also Grace's diary where Jon gets a glimpse of her life through these diary entries.

There are many correlations with a real life case about Gyspy Blanchard. If you read about that you may have some spoilers as far as this book.

I enjoyed Emily Elgar's first book If You Knew Her much more than this one. Would I read another novel by this author? Absolutely.

For more info on the author check out her website HERE. Emily grew up in West country and currently lives in East Sussex England. Much thanks to LibraryThing for my copy of this book.

Here's what one dude said about it, then I'll let you know: "Chilling and compassionate in equal measure, GRACE IS GONE is an emotionally charged thriller that kept me reading long into the night. While it’s undoubtedly a superior suspense novel, Elgar also excels in laying bare the often fragile bonds of supposedly close-knit communities. When the ending comes, be prepared to pick your jaw up off the floor."

Chilling and compassionate in equal measure? I dunno. It was chilling but never really to a level of chilling, except maybe in the later 1/3. Compassionate? Not much. Pretty brutal, really. But there were tender moments.

Emotionally charged thriller? Very much yes. And quite good at it.

Fragile bonds of tight-knit communities? I mean, only if they're duped.

I didn't really have to pick my jaw up off the floor, I figured if it was nobody, it was Grace (spoiler!) and even correctly diagnosed from the DSM-V. Still, good stuff, worth a jaunt.

Cassie is in ICU at St Catherine's hospital in a coma. Alice the head nurse is looking after Cassie but feels something is not right. Frank another patient can see and hear everything but cannot talk.

I really enjoyed this book. The story follows Alice as she cares for Cassie. With flashbacks into Cassies life the story unfolds.

This story had me hooked from the beginning. This is the type of book that had me wanting to pick it up to see what is going to happen and why. The plot may not have been fast paced but did plod along nicely as the story unfolded. The story had a few surprises along the way and an unexpected ending.

I really enjoyed this book so would read more by this author in the future.

Seventeen-year-old Grace Nichols has been devastatingly sick most of her life. Her mother, Meg, has dedicated her life to caring for her daughter. They are fortunate to have a strong support system in their community; friends often stop by to leave something for them. And so, one day, neighbor Cara Dorman stops by with some clothing for Grace. She rings the bell, but no one answers. When Cara discovers the front door is open, she goes inside.

Meg is on her bed, bludgeoned to death.

Grace’s wheelchair is overturned.

Grace is gone.

In shock, the community rallies to find the missing girl while the police investigate the gruesome murder. Early on, Grace’s father, Simon Davis, becomes the primary suspect, in part because he’d tried to take Grace once before when she was just six years old. However, investigative journalist Jon Katrin, who once wrote a less-than-well-received piece on Grace and Meg for the local paper, thinks there’s something else at play in this case. As he and Cara investigate, anomalies surface that cause them to question everything they thought they knew.

Who killed Meg? And where is Grace?

Told alternately by Jon and Cara and supported by entries made in Grace’s diary, the unfolding story seethes with an undercurrent of tension and suspense. The small town’s residents continue to ostracize Jon for his earlier article; he struggles to repair his marriage to Ruth while seeking answers about Grace’s disappearance in hopes of finding her and thus atoning for that earlier article. Meanwhile, Grace’s father, Simon, clearly knows more than he’s saying, but conflicting stories about him make it particularly difficult to separate truth from fiction.

Readers familiar with the true-life case that serves as the basis for this narrative will know the surprising twist long before its reveal in this tantalizing tale, but there are enough clues along the way that astute readers will have no problem deciphering this twisted tragedy.

Unfortunately, a much-overused and offensive expletive mars an otherwise intriguing, spot-on narrative and lowers the rating for this book.

Recommended.

I received a free copy of this book through the LibraryThing Early Readers program

When Cara comes to her neighbours’ house, she’s got a guilty conscience, she hasn’t seen Grace as often as she could have and the girl hardly has contact to anybody apart from her mother. Suffering from multiple diseases, she is confined to the house and needs a wheelchair to move around. What Cara finds, however, is not Grace and her loving mother Meg, but a horrible crime scene: the mother has been slaughtered and the daughter is gone. Who would do such a thing to the most beloved family of the small Cornish city of Ashford? Haven’t they suffered enough with the daughter fatally ill and their son who drowned a couple of years earlier? Together with journalist Jon, who published a not so pleasing portrait of mother and daughter a couple of months before, Cara starts to investigate and soon realises that the public picture of Grace and Meg differs a lot from reality.

Emily Elgar’s novel is a real page turner which offers some unexpected twists. The author has well dosed the revelations about Grace and Megan’s past to keep the reader hooked and curious to find out who they really were. What I liked most was the fact that – set aside the murder of Meg – most of what is told about them could be true and surely happens every day. This makes the suspenseful psychological thriller also a very sad story and leads the reader to ponder about the question how such a story could take place.

It is quite difficult to talk about the characters or the plot without giving away too much of it and spoiling the fun for other readers. I liked having alternate narrators who tell the events from their respective point of view and I also rarely find crime stories where the police and their investigation only play a minor role, or rather: none at all. Even though I had the correct idea of why and how the scheme was set up, I enjoyed reading the novel thoroughly.

4.5 stars.

Grace Is Gone by Emily Elgar is a twisted domestic mystery set in a small town in Cornwall.

Cara Dorman makes a shocking discovery when she goes to neighbor Meg Nichols' house to make a delivery. Meg has been brutally bludgeoned to death and her very ill seventeen daughter Grace is missing. The entire town rallies around the much loved and admired family of two and begins their own search for Grace. Cara is somewhat traumatized by her memories of finding Meg's body and she is also wracked with guilt she has allowed her once close friendship with Grace to fall by the wayside. She unexpectedly teams up with despised journalist Jon Katrin to find the missing teen before it is too late.

Cara and her mum Susan have been close to Meg and Grace for years. They, along with the rest of the town, have nothing but admiration for Meg and her selfless care of her very ill daughter. But as Cara joins forces with Jon to find Grace, she begins to rethink some of the things she has witnessed over the years. They have uncovered some very unexpected information that alters her opinion of Meg and Grace. But the big question is whether or not these shocking new details have any bearing on Meg's murder and Grace's disappearance.

Jon has been living in disgrace since his article about Grace and Meg was published in the local paper. Originally from London, he grossly miscalculated the angle of his article and he is now separated from his wife, Ruth and their son, Jacob. During the course of his investigation, he realizes that he might have allowed his personal situation to color his perception of Meg and her estranged husband, Simon.

A few minor findings and insatiable curiosity lead to unexpected clues. With the town's attention focused on finding Grace, Cara avoids the limelight and inadvertently stumbles onto an absolutely shocking discovery. Jon, too, has found unanticipated information that changes the course of their investigation. Jon and Cara soon put themselves into an increasingly dangerous situation as they try to uncover the truth about what happened to Meg and Grace.

Based on true life events, Grace Is Gone is a clever mystery that is quite riveting. The storyline is well-executed and the characters are well-drawn. Emily Elgar brings this engrossing mystery to a twist-filled yet ethically questionable conclusion. I completely enjoyed and highly recommend this thought-provoking novel to readers of the genre.

4.5 stars.

I really thought this was a good story even though I thought it could have moved along a bit faster. It was told very well even though it was very obvious who had been to blame.½

Good but not particularly memorable. Full review at: https://thelastpageturnedbookblog.blogspot.com/2018/08/review-if-you-knew-her-by...

1st read from this author and I just was so-so on it. I kept going back and forth from being really caught up and wanting to know whats next to feeling bored and wanting to jump ahead.

I have to start with saying, the ending of this book gutted me. It was emotional, I wanted a different ending for the characters I grew to like yet somehow it was the perfect ending.

Alice is a nurse at a hospital, one that works with comatose patients, and she is a lovely, caring woman. You can really get behind this character, have empathy for her in both her professional and personal life.

The story is told from several points of view bringing us different perspectives and information about what’s going on. We have the nursing staff with Alice, Mary and Lizzie. Later in the book you want to throttle Lizzie (you’ll see). They interact with these comatose patients, nursing them, comforting them and hoping for improvement. We read about several of the patients, some in a passing reference because they are moved to another facility or they die. The two main comatose patients are Cassie, a woman brought into the ward after a hit and run, and Frank, a stroke victim.

There are also supporting “cast members” – Cassie’s husband Jack and her mother-in-law Charlotte, Cassie’s best friend Nicky, her step-father Marcus and her neighbor Jonny.

Frank is an alcoholic and one of the long term patients on the ward. While the doctors think he is in a PVS (permanent vegetative state) he is actually aware of what’s going on around him. He can’t speak, blink, move a finger to let people know he’s locked in. What a nightmare. From his point of view we learn about his previous life, the love for his daughter Lucy and what it’s like being an alcoholic. He describes addition: The addiction “pounced on me when I lost my job, it pounced on me when Ange (his wife) finally chucked him out. After that it seemed to take up residence within me, switching places with the man I tried to be, consigning Frank to the shadows, meek and withered as the beats gnawed my bones, sucking out the marrow of my life every bottle of whisky…..” Great descriptions.

Cassie’s story has it’s twists and turns. She clearly misses her deceased mother April, she loves Jack but is sometimes distant from him and her best friend Nicky is like a sister. One day she witnesses something that changes her life (don't want to give spoilers). Shortly afterwards she is stuck by a car, obviously on purpose (that’s in the beginning) and left for dead. You come to wonder if she was targeted by her husband, best friend or step-father. The story builds up as we learn more about our supporting cast. I had my assumptions about what happened with Cassie but the end still surprised me. I liked reading about Cassie and her life before she went into a coma.

While food was mentioned here and there, and I will note it because…I do write about books and food….it’s not a celebratory book to enjoy a meal. It starts out interesting but near the end this plot grabs you by the collar and demands your attention. Emotional ride here at the end. Ok so, there was:

Salmon fillets, salad and new potatoes and wine.
Homemade jam, lasagna
Croissants, prosciutto, melon and freshly squeezed orange juice

(Photos of food at Novel Meals)

I would recommend this author and I will most certainly look for her future publications. Well done, Emily Elgar, as you had me shed a tear at the end.
Great wrap-up.

I won a copy of this book from LibraryThing.

Appearances can be so deceiving. Alice is the head nurse on a constant care ward. Frank, one of her patients is thought to be a hopeless case, unresponsive, in a vegetative state, only Alice believes Frank is in there somewhere. Cassie, a young woman is in a coma, a victim of a hit and run. Her husband and mother in law are devastated, and then there is a further revelation that sends them reeling.

I thought this was quite well done. Alternating chapters send us back into the past of Cassie and Jack, into Frank's thoughts and Alice's life and what she finds out about Cassie's life. Well written tightly plotted, steadily paced, unique unveiling of the story. For me, one of the better novels in this genre. Although I figured out most of the reveals before the denoument, it didn't affect my enjoyment of the rest of the story. Knew the who, but not the why. A solid read.

If You Knew Her is Emily Elgar's debut novel.

Cassie Jensen is out walking her dog late at night when she is struck by a car. She lands in an intensive care unit under the watch of Nurse Alice. Also in the ward is a patient named Frank, locked into his body, unable to communicate that he can hear and see. And as family and friends stop by the ward to see Cassie, Alice gets the feeling that something just isn't quite right. And Frank? Oh, Frank knows something isn't right - but he has no way of telling anyone.

What a great premise! We learn more about what led to this moment from Cassie's memories. There are two other POVs - Alice and Frank's. Bit by bit, the story is pieced together. Those rotating POVs had me listening to just one more chapter late into the night, seeing if I could guess the final whodunit. And guess what? I didn't! I love not being able to guess the final reveal. Each chapter does add to the mystery plot, but also explores each character's personal life though a development in the present.

I chose to listen to If You Knew Her. The reader was Katey Stobey. I quite enjoyed her voice. It's pleasant to listen to, easy to understand and I thought she interpreted Elgar's work well. Her inflections and tones match the content and characters well. This was a clever debut and I can't wait to read what Elgar writes next!

A gripping story of mystery when Cassie Jensen is admitted to the intensive care ward after being hit by a car and left for dead. Also, in the same ward is Frank, who has locked-in syndrome (can see and hear everything but cannot move). The head nurse Alice tends to these patients and becomes amateur sleuth when Cassie’s hit and run is more than what it seems. Told in each of these three characters’ point of view in rotating chapters, we learn so much about them. Although, not a fast paced novel, it does have some suspense and certainly an incredible climax.

Excellent story and writing. The characters were likeable and I found myself cheering for some and hoping for others. It always held my interest and the mystery part stayed until the end. A definite hit for the author Emily Elgar..

If You Knew Her was an addictive read. A very suspenseful psychological thriller! My favorite kind of escape from reality book! I absolutely loved it!

Emily Elgar is definitely one to watch. "If you knew her" took me by surprise. A great thriller with well fleshed out characters. One such character, Frank, is a patient in a coma type state ; a vegetative state. As we read we realize he's suffering from locked in syndrome. Very fascinating. Keep some kleenex handy as you read also.

"But here we are, day in, day out with our patients, their families; we see it all. Nurses are like hospital furniture. Everyone else constantly moves, the Ists get promoted, patients go home or die but we stay, steadfast, waiting to be sat on, leant on, perhaps kicked about a bit."

Alice is a compassionate nurse and unit manager in Ward 9B, a small High Dependency Unit at St. Catherine’s Hospital. Patients there hover between life and death.

One of her patients, Frank Ashcroft, has been on her ward for two months which is unusual for someone in his state. He had a brain stem stroke leading to a coma and Dr. Sharma wants to move him to a morgue waiting room to let him die, but Alice is optimistic that Frank can hear her during their long one-sided talks. Frank is a good listener who doesn't judge while she chats about her husband, David, and her many devastating miscarriages. All she wants to be is a good wife and mother, and when a young, pregnant female coma patient, Cassie, is admitted to her ward, she has hope that if a baby can survive in a coma patient, then maybe one could survive in her. But, someone wants to harm Cassie, and Alice will protect her and the baby at all costs.

See my complete review at The Eclectic Review