Where They Found Her: A Novel

by Kimberly McCreight

Overview

At the end of a long winter in well-to-do Ridgedale, New Jersey, the body of an infant is discovered in the woods near the town's prestigious university campus. No one knows who the baby is, or how her body ended up out there. When freelance journalist and recent Ridgedale transplant Molly Anderson is unexpectedly called upon to cover the story for the Ridgedale Reader, it's a risk, given the severe depression that followed the loss of her own baby. But the bigger threat comes when Molly unearths some of Ridgedale's darkest secrets, including a string of unreported sexual assaults going back twenty years. Meanwhile, Sandy, a high school dropout, searches for her volatile and now missing mother, and PTA president Barbara struggles to help her young son, who's suddenly having disturbing outbursts. Told from the perspectives of Molly, Barbara, and Sandy, the novel unwinds the tangled truth about the baby's death, revealing that these three women have far more in common than they realized. That the very worst crimes are committed against those we love. And that--sooner or later--the past catches up to all of us.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062225474
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	04/19/2016
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	406,821
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Kimberly McCreight is the New York Times bestselling author of Reconstructing Amelia, which was nominated for the Edgar, Anthony, and Alex Awards; Where They Found Her; and The Outliers young adult trilogy. She attended Vassar College and graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two daughters.

Editorial Reviews

McCreight doesn’t just give us an intense, interwoven, multigenerational, multi-household mystery (as if that isnt enough). She creates a world that pulls us in completely and genuinely, with characters that can enrage, amuse, and fill us with empathy. It’s a thrilling, lovely novel.” — Gillian Flynn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Gone Girl

“A roller-coaster of a novel…. How lucky for us readers—McCreight has once again proven herself to be an insightful writer capable of taking us on a hell of a ride.” — Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Leaving Time and The Storyteller

“I recently picked up McCreight’s 2013 debut, and I could not put it down…. It’s no surprise that McCreight’s latest novel, Where They Found Her…is at the top of my to-read list.” — EW.com (Entertainment Weekly online)

“Suspenseful…. McCreight is quickly rising into a league with the best purveyors of the stuff, from Jodi Picoult to Harlan Coben.” — USA Today

“In the latest psychological suspense tale from the bestselling author of Reconstructing Amelia, a journalist uncovers her community’s darkest secrets after an infant’s body is found in the woods.” — Entertainment Weekly “Must List”

“The way McCreight weaves the tale through three different perspectives will both haunt and shock you.” — Glamour

“While many books have been billed as the next Gone Girl, this mystery thriller definitely will intrigue fans of Gillian Flynn’s bestseller.… Told in multiple views, the reader will have to decide what is truth and what is fiction in this heart-pounding read.” — InStyle Magazine

“McCreight has done an excellent job of weaving a haunting story of expectation and loss.” — Columbus Dispatch

“Even seasoned mystery readers won’t see the twists coming in this fast-paced read filled with unreliable narrators.” — Cleveland Plain Dealer

“McCreight…keep[s] us guessing right to the end...” — Charlotte Observer

“Genuinely suspenseful and disturbing; McCreight delivers a provocative, timely novel that reminds us that sometimes the things that shine the brightest have the dirtiest underbellies.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Coiled as tightly as a spring, Where They Found Her begins with a small town’s tragedy and doesn’t relent until every secret, and character, is exposed. Kimberly McCreight has written another satisfying, dark page-turner that pounces off the page.” — Miranda Beverly-Whittemore, New York Times bestselling author of Bittersweet

“Where They Found Her is a fast-paced, intensely moving story filled with complex characters who drag you unresisting into their dark and tangled lives. It kept me guessing until the very last chapter.” — Chevy Stevens, New York Times bestselling author of Still Missing and That Night

“Where They Found Her is the electrifying story about the power of secrets spilling from one generation to the next, growing larger and more terrifying until they swamp everyone in their path and sweep to a shocking, unforgettable end.” — Carla Buckley, author of The Deepest Secret

“McCreight’s much-anticipated second novel is a gripping and tender examination of misplaced trust.” — Booklist Advanced Reviews

“Dark, twisted, and taut, McCreight’s story is like walking through a field of land mines.” — Curled Up with a Good Book

“Using multiple female perspectives author Kimberly McCreight weaves a page-turning psychological thriller as complex as her first novel Reconstructing Amelia. . . . Many twists will keep readers captivated to the end.” — Amy Steele, Entertainment Realm

“Author Kimberly McCreight is well known for her 2013 best-selling debut, Reconstructing Amelia. With Where They Found Her, she has delivered another eerie, harrowing read.… A deeply satisfying spellbinder that unfolds deliciously to the very last chapter.” — BookPage

“Even readers familiar with the psychological suspense subgenre may find themselves pleasantly shocked by all the plot’s many twists and turns.” — Strand Magazine

“Told from the perspective of three Ridgedale, New Jersey women who must come to grips with a shocking discovery. . . McCreight skillfully links these characters together, not only with the tragedy, but also with their personal lives, creating an enjoyable read.” — Elise Cooper, Working Mother

“Like Gone Girl, Reconstructing Amelia seamlessly marries a crime story with a relationship drama. And like Gone Girl, it should be hailed as one of the best books of the year…A” — Entertainment Weekly

“Just finished a fantastic novel–Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight. So. Well. Done. If you liked Gone Girl, you’ll love this too.” — Jodi Picoult

“Did Amelia Baron really get caught cheating and then commit suicide—or is the truth more sinister? A nail-biter for Gone Girl fans.” — People

“Clever and scary . . . McCreight has her finger on the private school zeitgeist. . .and this disturbing tale will make older readers fondly recall the days when kids got in trouble for passing (print) notes in class.” — USA Today

From the Publisher

McCreight doesn’t just give us an intense, interwoven, multigenerational, multi-household mystery (as if that isnt enough). She creates a world that pulls us in completely and genuinely, with characters that can enrage, amuse, and fill us with empathy. It’s a thrilling, lovely novel.

Gillian Flynn

Even seasoned mystery readers won’t see the twists coming in this fast-paced read filled with unreliable narrators.

Cleveland Plain Dealer

Suspenseful…. McCreight is quickly rising into a league with the best purveyors of the stuff, from Jodi Picoult to Harlan Coben.

USA Today

McCreight’s much-anticipated second novel is a gripping and tender examination of misplaced trust.

Booklist Advanced Reviews

Where They Found Her is the electrifying story about the power of secrets spilling from one generation to the next, growing larger and more terrifying until they swamp everyone in their path and sweep to a shocking, unforgettable end.

Carla Buckley

Coiled as tightly as a spring, Where They Found Her begins with a small town’s tragedy and doesn’t relent until every secret, and character, is exposed. Kimberly McCreight has written another satisfying, dark page-turner that pounces off the page.

Miranda Beverly-Whittemore

Dark, twisted, and taut, McCreight’s story is like walking through a field of land mines.

Curled Up with a Good Book

McCreight…keep[s] us guessing right to the end...

Charlotte Observer

In the latest psychological suspense tale from the bestselling author of Reconstructing Amelia, a journalist uncovers her community’s darkest secrets after an infant’s body is found in the woods.

null Entertainment Weekly “Must List”

Just finished a fantastic novel–Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight. So. Well. Done. If you liked Gone Girl, you’ll love this too.

Jodi Picoult

02/09/2015
Edgar-finalist McCreight (Reconstructing Amelia) smoothly juggles multiple voices in her strong second novel. Four of them belong to freelance journalist Molly Sanderson: Molly’s own contemporary voice, her recorded psychiatric sessions, her therapy-era journal, and her published articles for the local paper in Ridgedale, N.J., a Princeton-like community where she lives with her professor husband, Justin, and their five-year-old daughter, Ella. Molly is assigned the story of a newborn discovered dead in a creek on university property—a dicey subject given Molly’s loss of her own baby two years earlier and her subsequent depression. Other perspectives include that of Sandy, a bright high school dropout; Sandy’s reckless mother, Jenna, who abruptly vanishes; and Barbara, the “perfect mom” of a kindergarten classmate of Ella’s, Cole, who starts exhibiting troubling behavior. Molly’s reporting uncovers a slew of dark secrets, some too close to home. While McCreight’s plot contains some far-fetched coincidences, her deft writing makes for a thoroughly riveting tale. Agent: Marly Rusoff, Marly Rusoff and Associates. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

The way McCreight weaves the tale through three different perspectives will both haunt and shock you.

Glamour

McCreight has done an excellent job of weaving a haunting story of expectation and loss.

Columbus Dispatch

In the latest psychological suspense tale from the bestselling author of Reconstructing Amelia, a journalist uncovers her community’s darkest secrets after an infant’s body is found in the woods.

Entertainment Weekly “Must List”

While many books have been billed as the next Gone Girl, this mystery thriller definitely will intrigue fans of Gillian Flynn’s bestseller.… Told in multiple views, the reader will have to decide what is truth and what is fiction in this heart-pounding read.

InStyle Magazine

I recently picked up McCreight’s 2013 debut, and I could not put it down…. It’s no surprise that McCreight’s latest novel, Where They Found Her…is at the top of my to-read list.

EW.com (Entertainment Weekly online)

McCreight…keep[s] us guessing right to the end...

Charlotte Observer

Did Amelia Baron really get caught cheating and then commit suicide—or is the truth more sinister? A nail-biter for Gone Girl fans.

People

Using multiple female perspectives author Kimberly McCreight weaves a page-turning psychological thriller as complex as her first novel Reconstructing Amelia. . . . Many twists will keep readers captivated to the end.

Amy Steele

Told from the perspective of three Ridgedale, New Jersey women who must come to grips with a shocking discovery. . . McCreight skillfully links these characters together, not only with the tragedy, but also with their personal lives, creating an enjoyable read.

Elise Cooper

Even readers familiar with the psychological suspense subgenre may find themselves pleasantly shocked by all the plot’s many twists and turns.

Strand Magazine

Author Kimberly McCreight is well known for her 2013 best-selling debut, Reconstructing Amelia. With Where They Found Her, she has delivered another eerie, harrowing read.… A deeply satisfying spellbinder that unfolds deliciously to the very last chapter.

BookPage

Where They Found Her is a fast-paced, intensely moving story filled with complex characters who drag you unresisting into their dark and tangled lives. It kept me guessing until the very last chapter.

Chevy Stevens

Like Gone Girl, Reconstructing Amelia seamlessly marries a crime story with a relationship drama. And like Gone Girl, it should be hailed as one of the best books of the year…A

Entertainment Weekly

Clever and scary . . . McCreight has her finger on the private school zeitgeist. . .and this disturbing tale will make older readers fondly recall the days when kids got in trouble for passing (print) notes in class.

USA Today

In the latest psychological suspense tale from the bestselling author of Reconstructing Amelia, a journalist uncovers her community’s darkest secrets after an infant’s body is found in the woods.

Entertainment Weekly “Must List”

In the latest psychological suspense tale from the bestselling author of Reconstructing Amelia, a journalist uncovers her community’s darkest secrets after an infant’s body is found in the woods.

Entertainment Weekly "Must List"

03/01/2015
When a body is found in Ridgedale—an otherwise quiet suburban New Jersey college town—cub reporter Molly Anderson is unexpectedly given the assignment for the Ridgedale Reader. Molly, who recently suffered a traumatic late-term miscarriage, has finally lifted herself out of a debilitating depression and sees her new job as a way to rebuild her life. But when she discovers that the victim in the river is a newborn girl, Molly is forced to confront the haunting pain of her own baby's death; in the process, she uncovers dirty secrets about a town that strives to maintain its idealized image. The story is told from the point of view of three Ridgedale women (high school dropout Sandy, PTA president Barbara, and Molly) and is supplemented with transcripts, journal entries, and newspaper clippings in a manner reminiscent of McCreight's successful debut novel, Reconstructing Amelia. VERDICT Some elements of this plot and narrative feel contrived and too coincidental, but overall this tightly spun sophomore effort will please fans of Amelia. McCreight has a keen grasp of the epistolary technique and is adept at providing readers the puzzle pieces they need to build a broader picture. A solid follow-up. [See Prepub Alert, 10/5/14.]—Erin Entrada Kelly, Philadelphia

Library Journal

★ 2015-02-05
The discovery of an infant's body rocks a seemingly idyllic New Jersey town in McCreight's intense sophomore effort. Accustomed to writing lifestyle articles, reporter Molly Sanderson—a recent transplant to upscale Ridgedale with her English-professor husband and young daughter—never expected her first hard-news story to involve a dead baby. She's still reeling from her own miscarriage, and when an unidentified newborn girl is found in the woods near the college campus, it hits close to home. Expanding on the alternating-perspectives technique she used in her first novel, Reconstructing Amelia (2013), McCreight slowly lays out the pieces of the grim puzzle, which include Molly's ever widening investigation; the fears of the town as expertly conveyed through comments left on Molly's online news stories; and a complex relationship between two teenage girls from different sides of the tracks. At 16, Sandy Mendelson is more mature than her hard-partying mother, Jenna, who thinks nothing of parading a series of men (and drugs) in front of her daughter. After dropping out of school to help earn money for rent, Sandy is trying to get her GED diploma with the help of tutor Hannah Carlson, a high school senior whose life couldn't be more different. The daughter of Ridgedale's police chief—who's a reluctant source for Molly—and a demanding mother, Hannah is a tightly coiled spring. As rumors abound and Molly investigates the town's—and the college's—squeaky clean image, the baby's identity and her parentage threaten to tear Ridgedale apart. Genuinely suspenseful and disturbing; McCreight delivers a provocative, timely novel that reminds us that sometimes the things that shine the brightest have the dirtiest underbellies.

Kirkus Reviews