Ruth Malone, a single mother in 1965 Queens, New York, probably isn't the best mother. Or the nicest woman. However, is she a murderer?
Working long hours as a cocktail waitress, Ruth wakes early one morning to discover that her two small children have gone missing from their apartments. Later that day, her daughter's body is discovered and ten days later, her son's body. As police investigate the murders, Ruth's life becomes exposed, piece by piece. Seen through the eyes of others, her alcoholism and tendency to date a lot of men make her seem like she's a loose woman and bad mother. Believing the worst of her, she's tried for the murders. However, did she really kill them?
I found this book to be a pageturner. Despite the fact that Ruth isn't really a likeable character, it's easy to see that she doesn't really seem to love herself too much. Her life's a bit of a mess, and she's not the best person, but she doesn't seem like a killer. The police seem determined to find her at fault, some of them seeming to make it a personal vendetta. However, a rookie reporter covering the murders soon starts digging into the case, and develops an obsession with Ruth. He becomes convinced that she didn't murder her children, and that instead, something more sinister is going on.
You get Ruth's perspective here, both in real time, and looking back at what happened. You also get perspectives from the reporter, as well as a few other characters. Despite that, it's hard to tell if you're getting the true, real picture of Ruth's life and what may have happened to the children (and I found this is what kept me engrossed in the story).
No spoilers here, but there is a reveal towards the very end of the book that I totally didn't see coming. This book is apparently inspired by a true story.
No comments:
Post a Comment