Stacey Rice

Spoilers ahead. This story seems like a Young Adult novel rather than an adult thriller. The author only brushes on sexual scenes, avoiding getting too graphic. That's okay, but what drove me nuts throughout the book, is the unrealistic but still unimaginative writing. The girls get in one bad situation after another, and come up with crazy excuses to never go to the police or tell the adults trying to help them the truth. You're supposed to believe that, after 18 years, they end up back in a mirrored situation with the same rapists. Then when two of the sisters finally go to the police to help, the cop whose name is actually McPhail (McFail... Written like a Mc Donald's Happy meal version of a cop) bumbles up the investigation. Despite this being a really small town, the cops have no knowledge of the bad guys or their large ranch, and the bad guys apparently stayed out of trouble all this time. The author drags out the escape scene for so long, making up little details later to explain things that your inner voice says don't make sense. Then as the girls are escaping one inexplicably goes back in to fight the guy alone. One of the sisters then shoots one of the bad guys as he's fleeing way down the road but doesn't get in any trouble (she didn't see him do anything other than fleeing the area).... Just when you're relieved the book is over it keeps going, dragging up the original reason the girls went on the run. It was an unnecessary addition, like an afterthought meant to tie up loose ends, but also ends in an unbelievable summation that is also incredibly unbelievable. That cop staying details that just could not have come together when no one knew those details.... It's just, so poorly written.