Synopsis:
Minnesota, 1977. For the teens of one close-knit community, summer means late-night swimming parties at the quarry, the county fair, and venturing into the tunnels beneath the city. But for two best friends, it’s not all fun and games.
Heather and Brenda have a secret. Something they saw in the dark. Something they can’t forget. They’ve decided to never tell a soul. But their vow is tested when their friend disappears—the second girl to vanish in a week. And yet the authorities are reluctant to investigate.
Heather is terrified that the missing girls are connected to what she and Brenda stumbled upon that night. Desperately searching for answers on her own, she learns that no one in her community is who they seem to be. Not the police, not the boys she met at the quarry, not even her parents. But she can’t stop digging because she knows those girls are in danger.
She also knows she’s next.
I tried. I really, really tried. I just could not finish this book. Actually, I skipped to the end. I am not saying this isn’t a good book; however, it was not for me. Maybe I just wasn’t in the mood? I think being a “Freida Readah” has ruined thrillers! LOL. I can’t just read without my brain churning to figure out the twist. And…since many writers do not write with a big “a-ha” at the end, I easily can figure out plots.
The one thing I did find interesting is the history behind the setting – Pantown. One of my units I teach in Economics is about market structures which includes oligopolies. I use the car industry as an example. I knew about Preston Tucker’s attempt to enter into the car industry and his attempt to compete against the Big Three. I did not know, however, about Samuel Pandolfo who attempted to do the same thing years before Preston Tucker. What I found interesting, through more research, is how BOTH of them were accused of nearly the same thing by the Big Three, with the accusation being the one thing that led to each company’s downfall. The innovative ideas of competitors would cost the Big Three millions, if not billions, to innovate in order to compete. In their minds, do what needs to be done to make it nearly impossible to enter into this industry. I can’t wait to use this for my upcoming AP Micro unit. Here is one article that was very interesting – Pan-Town-on-the-Mississippi: Pan Motor Company’s Town
Well, I didn’t finish the book…it wasn’t for me. But…I did learn some new history so there’s that!
Happy Reading!
