Synopsis:
Don’t try to find me. Though the message on the kitchen white board is written in Marley’s hand, her mother Rachel knows there has to be some other explanation. Marley would never run away.
As the days pass and it sinks in that the impossible has occurred, Rachel and her husband Paul are informed that the police have “limited resources.” If they want their 14-year-old daughter back, they will have to find her themselves. Desperation becomes determination when Paul turns to Facebook and Twitter, and launches FindMarley.com.
But Marley isn’t the only one with secrets.
With public exposure comes scrutiny, and when Rachel blows a television interview, the dirty speculation begins. Now, the blogosphere is convinced Rachel is hiding something. It’s not what they think; Rachel would never hurt Marley. Not intentionally, anyway. But when it’s discovered that she’s lied, even to the police, the devoted mother becomes a suspect in Marley’s disappearance.
Is Marley out there somewhere, watching it all happen, or is the truth something far worse?
Edition:
E-book
My Thoughts:
Don’t Try to Find Me is one of many e-books (and there are literal hundreds of them) that I picked up for free during Amazon *shudder* promotions and have been just sitting for ages. Well, this one since 2018, which isn’t too bad – being ignored as I bought or received from publishers other books that I really wanted to read. But, I figured that some day I would have to begin working through that backlog, and that day has finally come!
If I’m being totally honest here, this book was not at all what I expected. It opens like this:
“Don’t try to find me. I’ll be okay. I’ll be better. I love you. THERE IT IS, ON the whiteboard affixed to the stainless steel fridge, the board where she usually tells me that we’re out of milk. Today, though, it’s her good-bye note. No, that’s impossible. My daughter loves me.”
Which is not really the typical opening of a disappeared-teen-girl story. Usually we find out fairly quickly that the girl in question has been the victim of some heinous crime, and is even now dead, dying, or being brutalized horribly. And don’t get me wrong, Marley is definitely a victim, but not in the sense you have most likely assumed. This story really defied my expectations on that front.
It was an interesting, engaging story that centers on the impact that both crimes and personal choices can have on a family, and also the impact of the Court of Public Opinion on everyone involved in the reporting, investigating, and even solving of crimes. It also deals with the trials of being a teenager (even a well-off teen in a 2 parent household) who feels misunderstood and unseen.
About the Author:
(from the author’s Goodreads page)
Holly Brown lives with her husband and daughter in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she’s a practicing marriage and family therapist. She is the author of the novels DON’T TRY TO FIND ME, A NECESSARY END, and THIS IS NOT OVER. Her latest is HOW FAR SHE’S COME, a workplace thriller that’s both timely and page-turning. She’s also teamed up with three internationally bestselling thriller writers (Sophie Hannah, B.A. Paris, and Clare Mackintosh) for a project from Serial Box called THE UNDERSTUDY.
Rating:
I felt like the outcome felt sort of unrealistic and Pollyanna-ish to me, but that may just be because I have very little faith in the human race. If you’re a more hopeful type, you should give this book a go.
Don't Try to Find Me By Holly Brown William Morrow ISBN: 0062305840 Published: July 8, 2014 Paperback, Hardcover, E-book, Audio Author's Website
