Friday, July 31, 2015

Pretty Baby

Pretty Baby by Mary Kubica


A sincere act of kindness goes terribly, terribly wrong......

Chris Wood calls his wife a bleeding heart; "Every neglected, mistreated, overlooked, ignored, abandoned, forgotten, emaciated, abused, derelict creature on God's earth is Heidi's concern". This time, however, she's gone too far...this time she's put her family in grave danger.

Relentless, pounding rain drenches the young teenage girl and the tiny baby cradled in her arms. As Heidi waits for the train at Fullerton Station in Chicago, her eyes are drawn to the girl's thin, bony frame, sallow skin, and vacant expression. Commuters intent on getting home, eye the pair with pity and disgust. But not Heidi. She decides to extend a helping hand, not realizing what's about to enfold.

Chris and self-centered daughter, Zoe, are angry and perplexed to see a homeless, bedraggled teenager and infant taking up residence in their home. Heidi becomes increasingly obsessed with this girl named Willow and baby Ruby. What is supposed to be a  temporary situation, drags on and on. Chris begins to have serious misgivings about this stranger who has invaded their lives. Without Heidi's  knowledge, he begins an investigation of his own. Constant travels related to his job keep him unaware of how bizarre the attachment between his wife and these outsiders has become. When he finally realizes the extent of their involvement, it may be too late to salvage the life they've created.

Kubica presents the reader with three narrators, Chris, Willow, and Heidi, each one telling a part of the story from their own perspective. Even though it may seem complicated, the timelines and characters are easy to follow. After the success of the author's first novel ( The Good Girl, reviewed in July 2014) Mary Kubica is a name that suspense lovers will remember. A graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, she  makes the Buckeye State proud.

A guaranteed pulse-pounding thriller that hooks you from page one with unexpected plot twists and a surprising ending .










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