Cemetery Girl

Bell weaves a believable tale of a parent's worst nightmare.

Cemetery Girl was an addictive novel, that kept me up till 3 in the morning to reach the conclusion. Bell weaves a believable tale of a parent's worst nightmare. He delivers it with an authentic voice in Tom Stuart.

Protagonist Tom Stuart, father of Caitlin and husband of Abby tells this riveting story from his perspective. The story is broken into three parts. The first part deals with events leading up to Caitlin's disappearance. The second takes us through the aftermath and how it impacts them. In the third part of the book Caitlin returns, thin, dirty and silent. She is changed; gone is their beautiful vibrant daughter. This isn't how they imagined her return, and Tom is still seeking answers.
This story while fictional could be ripped from the headlines of any news paper. It gives us an in-depth look at the chilling horror of having your child abducted. Tom and Abby are flawed, both as humans and parents. I would be naïve to believe I was a perfect parent. I think we all question ourselves. Bell's characters show us their raw emotions. They give voice to unspeakable thoughts making this all the more surreal. While this isn't a Stephen King novel, the tale is so real, so horrible that you will find yourselves checking on your kids in the middle of night.
Cemetery Girl will leave its mark on the reader. The next headline of a child's abduction will draw you back in and make you think about the unthinkable. I will unquestionably be reading more of David J Bell's work.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

This is a terrific family drama filles with suspense

Four years ago, twelve year old Caitlin Stuart vanished while walking the family dog Frosty. Her disappearance has left the relationship between her parents Tom and Abby on life support. Abby seeks to move on starting with taking Frosty to the pound as he is a reminder of Caitlin; Tom prefers to keep Frosty with them as he is reminder of Caitlin. He leaves Frosty at the shelter

Abby prepares for a funeral of her daughter, which is the final shock to her marriage as Tom rejects her notion of closure supported by Pastor Chris. Tom's half-brother Buster comes for the funeral to support his sibling. Tom goes back to the shelter to retrieve Frosty, but he has been adopted. The police pick up a female teenager who is Caitlin. She refuses to discuss what happened to her with anyone. Though his daughter's personality has always been to keep things to herself, Tom fears she was intricately involved in her abduction. He needs the truth so he investigates his offspring's life for the last four years.

This is a terrific family drama as David Bell provides a strong look at grief and closure are customized to the individual; what Abby needs is not what Tom needs and visa versa. The amateur sleuthing is fun to follow as Tom still seeks closure by learning what went down. Although the well written ending seems weak compared with the strong story line preceding it; aMr. Bell provides closure to the audience rather than an open ended "non-solution" that appears more appropriate. Still readers will appreciate the aftermath to when a terrible incident impacts family and community.

Harriet Klausner

4 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

Not sure what all the hype was about

From the description and all the reviews, I thought there were going to be some major twists and turns and a really unexpected conclusion. But no, it all boiled down to exactly what you would expect from an abduction case with Stockholm syndrome. The author set up a lot of really interesting scenarios, but then they all turned out to be plot devices he just sort of left hanging. How much was the brother actually know beforehand? Why does no one else notice the 12 year old "ghost girl" running around a small town? Neither of these grown men thought to report this girl to the police for her own safety? This small town police department really didn't bother to investigate what happened to Tracy? What was Liann's weird motivation? Lots of things were hinted at then never really addressed.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A Great Read!

"Cemetery Girl" is the story of Caitlin Stuart, a girl who disappears at age 12 and is found alive four years later. Caitlin refuses to talk about what happened to her while she was gone, and her father, Tom, struggles to uncover the mystery behind those lost years. "Cemetery Girl" is told from the perspective of Tom, and as the story unfolds, the reader is treated to great writing that relays so much more than the typical mystery/thriller abduction tale. The author, David Bell, does an excellent job examining the effect of a tragic event and its aftermath on the different aspects of a person's life, all while showing the varied reactions of people to crises. This is a thought-provoking book, and one that would be good for a book club. I imagine many readers will be made uncomfortable by the choices different characters make in the novel, and the discussion about those choices could be excellent. Finally, let me say that I love the cover art for this book. Disclaimer: I received an ARC of "Cemetery Girl" from the publisher; no payment was received for this review.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Great pre bedtime or beach read novel

Plot kept me interested and twists in the story made it hard to put down. Satisfying ending.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great book

Great book I could not put the book down!!!

Just Ok.

I really liked this book up until near the end. Parts could def have been written better. It was very far-fetched that a girl/ghost is randomly showing up at the cemetery. And I did not like the character of Buster, the creepy uncle. This book was good but not great.

What a great storie.

I really enjoyed this book.

Good read

Definitely a page turner. I liked it.

Amateurish prose and mind-numbing characters

Reads like a high school term paper with characters incapable of making intelligent decisions. The story-concept may have been interesting in another author's hands.

Excellent Read

This thriller grabs your attention at the beginning and never lets go. I found it very difficult to put down. Couldn't wait for all of the secrets to be revealed.

Highly Recommended

David Bell¿s thriller debut, Cemetery Girl, is the story of the disappearance of 12 year old Caitlin Stuart and how her parents, Tom and Abby, coped with her being gone. Bell starts the story four years earlier after Caitlin¿s disappearance. Frantic and besieged, Tom vowed to never give up the hope that she is still alive and will come back home. However, Abby has given up and decides it is time to move on. She planned a memorial service and ordered a headstone as she felt the marriage ended when Caitlin disappeared. When Caitlin was found alive, she does not discuss the details of the events leading up to her disappearance and anything in between. Happy that his daughter has returned home safe, Tom is now on a mission to learn about her disappearance. The book is told from the perspective of Tom, which Bell did an excellent job getting the readers intrigued and fulfilled. His writing style made a sensitive issue easy to comprehend. The aftermath of Caitlin¿s disappearance tested the marriage of Tom and Abby and Bell¿s efforts to describe the different aspects and reactions of people were fantastically written. Cemetery Girl is a riveting and powerful novel, maintaining the reader on their toes until the end. Mesmerizing and full with torment, this captivating story shows to be a page-turner. It is a forceful ride, coiling through psychological territory and pulling the reader into emotional suffering. It is worth the read as the book is truly thought-aggravating.

Amazing!!!!

This book is one of the best I have read all year. As a parent, I always teach my kids, "don't talk to strangers" and so on. This book brings to light how a parent would feel if their child was taken. How much would you really want to know? How far would you be willing to find the truth? Highly recommended - so stop reading my review and buy it already. You will NOT be disappointed.

An Emotional Ride

Tom and Abby Stuart seem to be a couple with the perfect life until their wonderful 12-year old daughter, Caitlin, disappears without a trace. The only witness to Caitlin's disappearance is the family dog. Abby finds solace at church, Tom endures by tracking every lead and keeping their daughter's story out there. Their marriage starts to fall apart as they are both pulled in different directions. Abby needs closure and Tom needs to keep hope alive.

Four years later their world is rocked again when Caitlin is found alive...

Dollycas Thoughts
I think the book cover synopsis gives away too much of the story and loses some of the suspense. That being said it is a gripping story. The psychological part of the story is very compelling as all three main characters deal with serious issues. Losing a child is devastating enough but having them return after time, while fantastic, trying to acclimate together again can be overwhelming.

The entire story is told from Tom's point of view and his pain, agony, fear, mistrust, sadness and grief are all poured out on these pages. As his childhood memories are revealed you feel even more of these emotions. At times I thought her was hallucinating visions of his daughter, his mind trying to cope. Maybe because I was taking this journey so closely with Tom I found myself really not liking Abby and her relationship with her pastor really upset me.

This author has a voice I will continue to watch. This is a smart novel with keen insight. There are many layers in this story that add to the story making it different from other stories with a similar premise. Parents will hug their kids tight after reading this all too real nightmare.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from New American Library. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

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