Author: Ashley Flowers
Started: July 4, 2022
Finished: July 5, 2022
Margot Davies grew up in the small town of Wakarusa, Indiana, and moved away to become a journalist, now she finds herself returning to that community in order to take care of her uncle who is in the beginning stages of dementia. The day she arrives there is news that a young girl named Natalie Clark and the case reminds her of her friend, January Jacobs, who was murdered in her own home when she was six. The problem is no one else thinks there is a connection.
One day graffiti appears on the Jacobs family's barn, proving to Margot that the two cases are connected. Determined to find the truth, Margot begins to talk to those people who were involved in the original Jacobs investigation. It is widely thought that January's mother killed her but Margot decides to speak to one other person who could possibly know what happened - January's twin brother, Jace. The deeper Margot gets into this investigation the stronger she feels that she knows who murdered her friend but finds that things are not always what they appear.
This is the first novel by Ashley Flowers, host of the widely popular Crime Junkies podcast. This story is not so loosely based on the yet unsolved JonBenet Ramsey case. There are very obvious similarities at the beginning of the book and I was glad when the story moved on from that background. With Flower's background as a journalist, I had no doubt that she would be able to write a good book and that she will so in the future. While this was a very good read, I hope Ashley does not depend so heavily on a well-known case to base her story on.