Plot Twist Fridays: The Girls in the Garden by Lisa Jewell

 

Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,

 The Girls in the Garden is published by Atria Books, an imprint of Simon and Schuster. In this slick mystery, we are introduced to the communities of Virginia Crescent and Virginia Terrace, two blocks of housing, shops, and centers encircling a massive park. Virginia Park has a playground, gardens, walking trails, and fields. It is a community that is closely knit, with many of the neighborhood kids playing together. It seems to be an ideal place to raise families, and many of the residents have been there since childhood. 

  One night, many months ago, Clare Wild's husband had a psychotic break and burned her family's house down. After his admittance into a psychiatric hospital, she took her girls, Pip and Grace, and moved to Virginia Terrace. As Clare and the girls become part of the community, Pip and Grace meet the other children. It seems like a seamless integration into the community. But when Grace Wild is found badly beaten and apparently assaulted on the evening of a large community party, Pip must work to find her sister's assailant. 

   The Girls in the Garden takes place amidst barbecues, and hazy days, and delivers gossip and danger so hot, you will need a cold lemonade. The unique setting of this novel offers up many suspects in this story that had me guessing almost to the end of the book. Lisa Jewell's writing took me away and transported me into Virginia Park. Each plot thread was carefully laid out producing an intricately woven tapestry of suspense, deception, and hidden secrets. I was floored by the novel's plot twist, which led to a shocking ending.

  I read the Girls in the Garden with the audio narration of actress, Colleen Prendergast. She had a very soothing and often melodious voice that carried the story forward in an effortless wave. I loved her accents and her transitioning voices, and she was very effective as Pip Wild. I was impressed with her work on this novel. 

  After finishing this novel I gave it four out of five stars. I enjoyed the twisty plot and believable characters, and I fell in love with Virginia Park. After leaving the pages, I wanted more. Have fun trying to solve this mystery. 

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