In 1982, 18-year-old Emily Vaughan was murdered. No one was ever charged with the crime. Forty years later, her mother, Judge Esther Vaughan, has been getting death threats. Andrea Oliver, who has just become a U.S. Marshall, is sent to Longbill Beach, Delaware to work on her first case protecting the Judge. It is also an opportunity to look into Emily's death, which occurred after she was raped and while she was pregnant with no knowledge of who the father was. The friends Emily hung out with had all been suspects including Clayton Morrow. Not only is Clayton a psychopath but he is also Andrea's biological father. And while he is currently in jail, Clayton is up for parole. If Andrea can prove that Clayton is Emily's murderer, she can be sure he stays in jail and will be unable to hurt her mother. When a young woman is found dead by suspected suicide, Andrea learns about current abuses of young women living on a cult-like farm run by another one of Emily's old friends. Told in the past and present, this is a complex web of suspense as Emily, in flashbacks, tries to learn who raped her and Andrea works to uncover the truth about Emily as well as who is terrorizing Judge Vaughan.
Girl, Forgotten is a continuation of the story of Andrea, who we met in Pieces of Her (2018) when she learned the truth about her own family history. Karin Slaughter's new book, however, fully stands on its own. It's still worth reading Book #1 or viewing the popular Netflix series, which does justice to the first book. The strong character development of the good guys, the bad guys and the questionable people, is something to expect from Slaughter. Emily's story was incredibly sad as this poor young woman was a victim of more than her rapist and killer. And there's clearly more to come from Andrea Oliver. I'm looking forward to what comes next in the series.
Rated 4 out of 5 stars.
Mystery / Thriller.
Publication Date: August 23, 2022.
Please "like" this post if Girl, Forgotten sounds like a book you might like to read. I'd love to know. Scroll below the photo and click on the red outlined heart on the lower right-hand side of the page. Comments can also be left below.
