Category Archives: Paula Treick DeBoard

January 24, 2018 · 11:58 pm

Review: Here We Lie by Paula Treick DeBoard

Title: Here We Lie by Paula Treick DeBoard
Publisher: Park Row
Genre: Contemporary, Women’s Fiction, Mystery
Length: 368 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Megan Mazeros and Lauren Mabrey are complete opposites on paper. Megan is a girl from a modest Midwest background, and Lauren is the daughter of a senator from an esteemed New England family. When they become roommates at a private women’s college, they forge a strong, albeit unlikely, friendship, sharing clothes, advice and their most intimate secrets.

The summer before senior year, Megan joins Lauren and her family on their private island off the coast of Maine. It should be a summer of relaxation, a last hurrah before graduation and the pressures of postcollege life. Then late one night, something unspeakable happens, searing through the framework of their friendship and tearing them apart. Many years later, Megan publicly comes forward about what happened that fateful night, revealing a horrible truth and threatening to expose long-buried secrets.

In this captivating and moving novel, Paula Treick DeBoard explores the power of friendship and secrets, and shows how hiding from the truth can lead to devastating consequences.

Review:

A close college friendship and the circumstances surrounding its abrupt end lie at the heart of Paula Treick DeBoard’s newest release, Here We Lie. Weaving back and forth in time, this incredibly fast-paced novel is an intriguing mystery with a socially relevant storyline.

Megan Mazeros and Lauren Mabrey form an unlikely and exceptionally close friendship when they become roommates at an exclusive all girls college. Megan is from a small town in Kansas where she worked as waitress while helping care for her father as he was dying from cancer. The youngest child of a US Senator, Lauren’s attempts to break free of her family’s expectations are met with disdain and derision from her rather cold mother. With enough money to pay for her four year degree, Megan carefully counts every penny and works hard to get good grades.  Despite her family’s disapproval, Lauren has a generous allowance and she maintains her careless attitude toward her education although she excels in her newfound love of photography. Despite all of their differences, the women forge a close friendship yet they each keep secrets, tell some rather elaborate lies and jealousy and anger occasionally come between them. However, their bond remains unbreakable until a shocking act and family loyalty rip them apart.

Megan and Lauren are very well-developed characters with all too human strengths and weaknesses. Megan is surprisingly comfortable at school despite the fact that most of her schoolmates are wealthy and privileged. She is slightly uncomfortable with Lauren’s generosity when they first begin spending time together, but their easy friendship soon eclipses her reservations. Lauren’s desire to be her own person, make her choices and experience life on her own terms is understandable yet she is quick to rely on her family’s money and connections to ease her way.

The novel begins with a press conference in the present then quickly flashes back in time to before Lauren and Megan meet. The story is written in first person and alternates between Lauren and Megan’s points of view.  They each have very distinct personalities and each of the perspective shifts are clearly marked but it is sometimes difficult to keep up which women is the currently narrating the story.

Most of the novel takes place during Megan and Lauren’s college years but there are brief glimpses of their lives in the present. Both women are in relationships but only one of them has children. How they arrived at this point in their lives is a bit of an unknown but a brief recap eventually provides answers.  What truly drives the story is the circumstances surrounding the mysterious press conference and the flashbacks of Megan and Lauren’s friendship gradually leads up to the horrific act that destroys their friendship.

Here We Lie is an absolutely entrancing novel that explores the bonds of friendship.  While not a conventional mystery, Paula Treick DeBoard does an excellent job building and maintaining suspense about the incident that ends Megan and Lauren’s friendship. With a storyline that could very well be ripped from today’s headlines, readers won’t have too much difficulty guessing what happened, whereas figuring out the who will be much more difficult.  This riveting novel comes to a heartwarming conclusion that is quite touching.

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Filed under Contemporary, Here We Lie, Mystery, Park Row Books, Paula Treick DeBoard, Rated B+, Review, Women's Fiction

April 25, 2016 · 11:58 pm

Review: The Drowning Girls by Paula Treick DeBoard

Title: The Drowning Girls by Paula Treick DeBoard
Publisher: MIRA
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense
Length: 381 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by the Author

Summary:

Critically acclaimed author of The Mourning Hours and The Fragile World, Paula Treick DeBoard returns with a tale of dark secrets, shocking lies and a dangerous obsession that will change one neighborhood forever 

Liz McGinnis never imagined herself living in a luxurious gated community like The Palms. Ever since she and her family moved in, she’s felt like an outsider amongst the Stepford-like wives and their obnoxiously spoiled children. Still, she’s determined to make it work—if not for herself, then for her husband, Phil, who landed them this lavish home in the first place, and for her daughter, Danielle, who’s about to enter high school.

Yet underneath the glossy veneer of The Palms, life is far from idyllic. In a place where reputation is everything, Liz soon discovers that even the friendliest residents can’t be trusted. So when the gorgeous girl next door befriends Danielle, Liz can’t help but find sophisticated Kelsey’s interest in her shy and slightly nerdy daughter a bit suspicious.

But while Kelsey quickly becomes a fixture in the McGinnis home, Liz’s relationships with both Danielle and Phil grow strained. Now even her own family seems to be hiding things, and it’s not long before their dream of living the high life quickly spirals out of control…

Review:

The Drowning Girls by Paula Treick DeBoard is a compelling and thought-provoking novel that is suspenseful and slightly disturbing.

Liz and Phil McGinnis and their fourteen year old daughter Danielle have just relocated to The Palms, an affluent, exclusive and tight-knit subdivision.  Phil is the newly hired community relations specialist for the neighborhood while Liz is a counselor at a nearby high school. Although they feel like they are living in paradise due to the many amenities and lavish surroundings, Liz is slightly intimidated by her wealthy neighbors and she is plagued by insecurities when dealing with the other families.  Hoping to ease her daughter’s transition to the new neighborhood and her new school, Liz eagerly accepts Sonia Jorgesen’s offer to introduce her daughter Kelsey to Danielle.  The two girls soon become tight friends, but it quickly becomes apparent that Kelsey is deeply troubled and after Liz makes a disconcerting discovery, her once happy family becomes to fall apart.

Liz is uncomfortable and feels out of place in their new neighborhood.  Their sumptuous and expansive home is part of Phil’s salary package and she is somewhat astonished by her neighbors’ extravagant lifestyles.  Feeling like she is out of her league, she tries to keep to herself as much as possible and to some extent, she manages to remain under the radar.  At first happy that Danielle and Kelsey have become fast friends, Liz is not exactly thrilled with some of the changes in her daughter nor does she like having Kelsey under foot all the time.  Her disenchantment in the situation grows when Danielle is caught in a lie and Liz begins to have doubts that she can trust her daughter.  At the same time, Liz suspects that something is going on with Phil and their marriage grows strained as circumstantial evidence seems to support her suspicions.

Phil is pretty laidback and easygoing and he is a good fit for his new job.  He is not exactly happy to have Kelsey at their house day in and day out especially since she has developed a disconcerting habit of dropping by his office as well.  He makes a concerted efforts to put an end to her flirtatious behavior but these attempts usually backfire. By the time Phil realizes the depth of Kelsey’s obsession with him, he fears it is too late to go to Liz with his concerns.  As his problems with Kelsey worsen, Phil desperately searches for options to get himself out of the untenable situation before he loses everything he holds dear.

Kelsey is an extremely disturbed young woman whose behavior quickly grows out of control.  She is extremely devious and manipulative as she insinuates herself into the McGinnis’s life.  When her schemes fail, she resorts to rumors and lies to try to achieve her goals.  Kelsey is quick to retaliate when things do not go her way and her destructive behavior soon begins to escalate.  Her parents are frequently away on business and despite an earlier incident, they are completely blind to their daughter’s faults.

With the chapters alternating between Liz and Phil’s points of view, The Drowning Girls by Paula Treick DeBoard is a darkly captivating novel of obsession.  Weaving back and forth in time, this spellbinding mystery is fascinating yet sometimes unsettling as it thunders to a conclusion that is utterly shocking. An absolutely riveting novel that I highly recommend to fans of the genre.

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Filed under Contemporary, Harlequin, Mira, Mystery, Paula Treick DeBoard, Rated B+, Review, Suspense, The Drowning Girls

October 27, 2014 · 11:58 pm

Review: The Fragile World by Paula Treick DeBoard

fragile worldTitle: The Fragile World by Paula Treick DeBoard
Publisher: Harlequin Mira
Genre: Contemporary, Fiction
Length: 432 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher

Summary:

From the author of stunning debut The Mourning Hours comes a powerful new novel that explores every parent’s worst nightmare…

The Kaufmans have always considered themselves a normal, happy family. Curtis is a physics teacher at a local high school. His wife, Kathleen, restores furniture for upscale boutiques. Daniel is away at college on a prestigious music scholarship, and twelve-year-old Olivia is a happy-go-lucky kid whose biggest concern is passing her next math test.

And then comes the middle-of-the-night phone call that changes everything. Daniel has been killed in what the police are calling a “freak” road accident, and the remaining Kaufmans are left to flounder in their grief.

The anguish of Daniel’s death is isolating, and it’s not long before this once-perfect family finds itself falling apart. As time passes and the wound refuses to heal, Curtis becomes obsessed with the idea of revenge, a growing mania that leads him to pack up his life and his anxious teenage daughter and set out on a collision course to right a wrong.

An emotionally charged novel, The Fragile World is a journey through America’s heartland and a family’s brightest and darkest moments, exploring the devastating pain of losing a child and the beauty of finding the way back to hope.

The Review:

The Fragile World by Paula Treick DeBoard is a heart-wrenching, poignant and at times, humorous, novel. This compelling story about the Kaufman family and the aftermath of a tragic loss is an intense and emotional journey for parents Curtis and Kathleen and their daughter Olivia. The plot is mostly character driven novel but the final chapters are action packed as the story races to a suspenseful (and very surprising) conclusion.

The Kaufman’s happy life ends with a devastating phone call about the death of their oldest son Daniel. Each of the family members grieves and copes with his death in very different ways: Curtis is obsessed with bringing the man responsible for the terrible accident to justice while Kathleen is proactive about getting the family into therapy and copes by keeping busy. Twelve year old Olivia becomes anxiety ridden and overwhelmed with fears about anything and everything that could go wrong. Fast forward a few years and their lives completely implode when Curtis receives a letter that puts in motion a chain of events that culminate in a cross country trip that ends in a way that no one could possibly imagine.

The Fragile World is written in third person and alternates between Curtis and Olivia’s perspectives. Curtis is a sympathetic, yet frustrating character and it is impossible to fully like him as his continued obsession turns dangerous. Olivia is a heartbreaking character as she battles her anxiety by compulsively recording her fears in her notebooks and eventually disengaging from normal life. She is the keeper of her father’s secrets and although her efforts might be misguided, she is trying to protect him the best way she knows how.

The overall pacing of the novel is rather slow until Curtis and Olivia embark on their road trip. Curtis’s behavior is almost manic during the journey and although he has a few reservations about what he plans to do, he never wavers from his decision. Olivia is almost panic stricken as she is forced from the safe cocoon she has created for herself but as she faces her worst fears, her anxiety becomes more manageable. But it is her chance meeting with a young man in Wyoming that proves most healing as she steps briefly steps out of her crazy world and into normal teenage life.

The Fragile World is a well-written and absorbing novel that is quite thought-provoking. It is an intriguing character study that will surprise, frustrate and sometimes, delight, readers as they join Curtis and Olivia on their life-altering journey. Paula Treick DeBoard brings the story to a pulse-pounding conclusion that is rather shocking and while the overall ending is hopeful,there are a few lingering questions that remain unanswered.

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Filed under Contemporary, Fiction, Harlequin, Mira, Paula Treick DeBoard, Rated B, Review, The Fragile World

June 20, 2013 · 3:58 am

Review: The Mourning Hours by Paula Treick DeBoard

Title: The Mourning Hours by Paula Treick DeBoard
Publisher: Harlequin
Imprint: Harlequin Mira
Genre: Contemporary, Fiction, Mystery
Length: 336 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

A family’s loyalty is put to the ultimate test

Kirsten Hammarstrom hasn’t been home to her tiny corner of rural Wisconsin in years—not since the mysterious disappearance of a local teenage girl rocked the town and shattered her family. Kirsten was just nine years old when Stacy Lemke went missing, and the last person to see her alive was her boyfriend, Johnny—the high school wrestling star and Kirsten’s older brother. No one knows what to believe—not even those closest to Johnny—but the event unhinges the quiet farming community and pins Kirsten’s family beneath the crushing weight of suspicion.

Now, years later, a new tragedy forces Kirsten and her siblings to return home, where they must confront the devastating event that shifted the trajectory of their lives. Tautly written and beautifully evocative, The Mourning Hours is a gripping portrayal of a family straining against extraordinary pressure, and a powerful tale of loyalty, betrayal and forgiveness.

The Review:

The Mourning Hours is a riveting page turner by new author Paula Treick DeBoard. This well-written and suspenseful mystery is a fascinating character study that takes readers deep into the heart of small town rural America following the disappearance of teenager Stacy Lemke.

Kirsten Hammarstrom is nine years old when her brother’s girlfriend disappears one snowy night. As days pass with no new leads, suspicion quickly falls on Johnny. Support from friends and members of their small community quickly disappears and the court of public opinion brands Johnny a killer. The Hammarstrom family is caught in the fallout as they support Johnny, but their own doubts about his innocence stretch this once solid family to the breaking point.

Told in first person from Kirsten’s point of view, most of The Mourning Hours details Johnny and Kirsten’s romance from their first meeting through the aftermath of her disappearance. Kirsten is mature for her age, keenly observant and although she does not always understand the significance of certain events, she is a reliable narrator. Kirsten is enamored of the elegant and well to do Stacy and she is a strong supporter of Stacy and Johnny’s budding romance. But as tension begins to grow between Johnny and his parents over Stacy’s possessiveness, Kirsten begins to have misgivings about Johnny’s involvement with Stacy. Kirsten witnesses some unsettling moments between Stacy and Johnny that will later cause her to doubt Johnny’s innocence after Stacy vanishes.

The Hammarstroms are a close knit family before Stacy enters their life. Their life on the family dairy farm is idyllic and they are well-liked by their neighbors and fellow townspeople. Cracks begin to appear within the family during Johnny’s romance and in the aftermath of Stacy’s disappearance, the stress of the investigation takes a huge toll on this once solid family. Their communities’ indictment of Johnny further strains the Hammarstroms’ marriage and the family is virtually ostracized as the search for Stacy continues.

The Mourning Hours is an engrossing read that is impossible to put down. While not a typical mystery, I had my suspicions as to what happened to Stacy and I was pleasantly surprised to discover my guess was correct. There are a few unanswered questions, but Paula Treick DeBoard provides readers with a emotionally satisfying and hopeful conclusion to this exceptional novel.

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Filed under Contemporary, Fiction, Harlequin, HarlequinMira, Mystery, Paula Treick DeBoard, Rated B+, Review, The Mourning Hours