February 2018 Book of the Month - The Broken Girls

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THE BROKEN GIRLS is a Mystery/Historical Fiction Thriller written by Simone St. James. It is expected to drop March 20th, 2018.  "Vermont, 1950. There's a place for the girls whom no one wants--the troublemakers, the illegitimate, the too smart for their own good. It's called Idlewild Hall. And in the small town where it's located, there are rumors that the boarding school is haunted. Four roommates bond over their whispered fears, their budding friendship blossoming--until one of them mysteriously disappears. . . . Vermont, 2014. As much as she's tried, journalist Fiona Sheridan cannot stop revisiting the events surrounding her older sister's death. Twenty years ago, her body was found lying in the overgrown fields near the ruins of Idlewild Hall. And though her sister's boyfriend was tried and convicted of murder, Fiona can't shake the suspicion that something was never right about the case. When Fiona discovers that Idlewild Hall is being restored by an anonymous benefactor, she decides to write a story about it. But a shocking discovery during the renovations will link the loss of her sister to secrets that were meant to stay hidden in the past--and a voice that won't be silenced. . . ." I enjoyed the beginning of the book at first, but towards the last quarter or so the storyline became too muddled and out of focus. What started as a "who-killed-my-sister-20-years-ago-and-is-the-old-wayward-girls-home-actually-haunted" turned into a multitude of things all including (SPOILERS BELOW) - A ghost story - Nazis - 3 unsolved murders - police corruption - questionable journalism All of these plots had to be neatly tied up within 75-100 pages. It can be done, but I don't think it was done well. Because of all these plot devices, I believe it pulled away from other important aspects of the story. The characters didn't seem as fleshed out and rather 2 dimensional, the scenes jumped all over the place, and all the clues and "ah-ha" moments the main character had seemed like they were given to her easily; as if by sheer coincidence she HAPPENED to find the woman who had the Idlewild files locked up in a shed behind her house, and that old woman just kinda gave them to her. Like, really? It seemed too easy. However, it was a pretty fast read for 329 pages, and I did have fun reading this novel. It felt like I was watching a juicy murder mystery series on TBS; which I found funny because the author has worked in television for several years. I would not have picked this book out myself at my local bookstore, and I'm glad I picked this for my first Book Of The Month. In conclusion, even though it lacked in some places, it was still a very fun, fast, entertaining read. Good for a long airplane ride or a palate cleanser between Jefferey Eugene and Zade Smith books. It's a sold 3 star rating.