The River by Mary Jane Beaufrand

Rating:
Characters: 18/20
Plot: 17/20
Originality: 17/20
Writing: 19/20
Recommendation: 18/20
Overall: 89/100 or B
Source: Publisher

Veronica Severance moved from the city to rural Oregon with her parents. Her father was a lawyer and got the wrong person off. They now run an inn. She is haunted by loneliness and by the chilling sounds of the Santiam, the river that runs through her backyard. Ronnie finds herself becoming close with Karen, a young girl who she babysits. But when running, she discovers Karen's body on the banks of the Santiam, the victim of a supposed accident. Ronnie feels compelled to uncover the truth, because Karen was smart and knew the woods well. She slowly becomes more obsessed with solving Karen's death, Ronnie is led deeper into the woods surrounding the river and to the dark secret hidden within it's midst.

Ronnie was an interesting character. I liked that she ran and also she didn't give up easily. I also liked how all of her neighbours had unique personality and all played a part in the story. The plot was well done. Details slowly came out on each page, which was wonderful for a suspenseful mystery. Unlike most mysteries, I wasn't sure what was going to happen. It was very original and unique, I rarely see books that are written like this. Beaufrand is an amazing writer that created a great book that I couldn't put down. I recommend this book to anyone that is looking for a mystery book, with something different to the plot.