Title: Such a Quiet Place by Megan Miranda
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Genre: Contemporary, Domestic Mystery, Suspense
Length: 352 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss
Summary:
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Last House Guest—a Reese Witherspoon Book Club selection—comes a new riveting suspense novel about a mysterious murder in an idyllic and close-knit neighborhood.
Welcome to Hollow’s Edge, where you can find secrets, scandal, and a suspected killer—all on one street.
Hollow’s Edge used to be a quiet place. A private and idyllic neighborhood where neighbors dropped in on neighbors, celebrated graduation and holiday parties together, and looked out for one another. But then came the murder of Brandon and Fiona Truett. A year and a half later, Hollow’s Edge is simmering. The residents are trapped, unable to sell their homes, confronted daily by the empty Truett house, and suffocated by their trial testimonies that implicated one of their own. Ruby Fletcher. And now, Ruby’s back.
With her conviction overturned, Ruby waltzes right back to Hollow’s Edge, and into the home she once shared with Harper Nash. Harper, five years older, has always treated Ruby like a wayward younger sister. But now she’s terrified. What possible good could come of Ruby returning to the scene of the crime? And how can she possibly turn her away, when she knows Ruby has nowhere to go?
Within days, suspicion spreads like a virus across Hollow’s Edge. It’s increasingly clear that not everyone told the truth about the night of the Truetts’ murders. And when Harper begins receiving threatening notes, she realizes she has to uncover the truth before someone else becomes the killer’s next victim.
Pulsating with suspense and with the shocking twists that are Megan Miranda’s trademark, Such a Quiet Place is Megan Miranda’s best novel yet—a twisty locked-box thriller that will keep you turning pages late into the night
Review:
Such a Quiet Place by Megan Miranda is a chilling domestic mystery.
Hollow’s Edge is a tranquil enclave whose residents are rocked by a shocking murder. In the months since Ruby Fletcher was convicted of murdering Brandon and Fiona Truett, the once close neighbors now keep to themselves. When Ruby’s conviction is overturned and moves back in with her former roommate Harper Nash, most everyone is in agreement that she has to leave. Harper halfheartedly tries to convince Ruby that she needs to go elsewhere but she does not protest much when Ruby shows no signs of going anywhere. Originally unable to believe Ruby could have murdered the Truett’s, she keeps a close watch on her unwelcome houseguest’s activities. No one hides their disdain toward Ruby and Harper is unnerved when she begins to doubt everyone around her. And Harper is even more unsettled as she starts to wonder exactly what Ruby is planning to do next…
Harper is a bit of a pushover who wants to believe the best in everyone. She did not exactly invite Ruby to live with her to begin with, but she did little to dissuade her after the fact. Harper’s once close relationships with her neighbors were already becoming more distant at the time of the Truett’s deaths. And after the trial, friendships fracture within the tight-knit community. But Harper’s friendships suffered the most since she allowed Ruby into their midst.
Ruby seems to revel in making everyone uneasy. She does not maintain a low profile and she delights in making Harper and her old neighbors uncomfortable. Ruby maintains she is only back in Hollow’s Edge because she has no other place to go. But is there more to her reappearance than meets the eye?
Narrated from Harper’s point of view, Such a Quiet Place is an enthralling domestic mystery. The storyline is well-plotted and moves at a steady pace. The bucolic neighborhood is atmospheric with plenty of tension between the various households. Harper is a multi-dimensional character whose naivete is both endearing and frustrating. Ruby is an intriguing character with an unknown agenda. The secondary cast of characters is interesting but is there more to them than meets the eye? With unexpected twists and thrilling turns, Megan Miranda brings this suspenseful domestic mystery to a shocking conclusion.
