Dear Daughter by Elizabeth Little- 384 pages
Guest Review by Carly Margolin
Book Blurb:
LA IT girl Janie Jenkins has it all. The looks, the brains, the connections. The criminal record. Ten years ago, in a trial that transfixed America, Janie was convicted of murdering her mother. Now she’s been released on a technicality she’s determined to unravel the mystery of her mother’s last words, words that send her to a tiny town in the very back of beyond. But with the whole of America’s media on her tail, convinced she’s literally got away with murder, she has to do everything she can to throw her pursuers off the scent.
She knows she really didn’t like her mother. Could she have killed her?
My Review: 3 stars
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When I first opened up the pages of Dear Daughter, I assumed I was going to be reading a dark thriller that would keep me reading until the break of dawn. This book did have me hooked, but not necessarily because it was the dark thriller I’d hoped for.
The story follows Janie Jenkins, a socialite who is released from jail due to mishandled evidence 10 years after being accused of murdering her mother. I was expecting a Gone Girl type of suspense, but what I got instead was a sarcastic, dry-witted, often funny 26- year-old, whose personality and voice, rather than the storyline, got me hooked.
Overall, I did enjoy the story and learning how the murder mystery played out, but the story seemed to unravel too neatly with Janie finding “clues” almost effortlessly. I enjoyed Janie as a character and definitely laughed a lot, although the book was definitely lengthier than necessary.
Quotes I liked:
Strange, but I actually wished I was hungover. Because when you’re so busy thinking about how awful you feel you forget for a moment how awful you are. Because pain can be its own relief. Because throwing up is a super-effective way to stay a size 0.”
-“I turned at a noise from the hallway—but it was just Bones. He was lying on his back, licking his paws. If only men were as easy to handle as dogs. Wait a second—they totally are.”
“You can get away with anything if you wear great clothes, throw great parties, and give money to kids with cleft palates.”
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