Viv at first seems timid, quiet, and often keeps to herself; however, as she becomes involved in her own investigation in to the murders of women in the area, we see a different side of Viv. She is determined, strong, smart, and pushes through her own fears to figure things out. She also is impulsive and rashly makes decisions, which could lead to trouble. Carly's story was also gripping, and it was interesting to follow along with her as she researches the past, piecing Viv's story together, plotting the last days of her Aunt's life. The stories link so well, both women experiencing the dark disturbances during the night shift at The Sun Down. I liked that Viv and Carly's stories were so similar; even being decades apart not much had changed in terms of women needing to be extra cautious when out alone at night. But, while Viv finds comfort in the help of other women, Carly finds assistance in another outcast like her (a young man who has also experienced loss and trauma). This is a novel about female empowerment. Viv faces sexism in 1982, but Carly faces similar moments of being ignored or dismissed in 2017. It is infuriating to the reader to know that this dismissal lead to Viv's disappearance and could lead to harm coming to Carly. Why are the police so unwilling to listen, why are these cases of murdered women so mishandled, or not fully investigated, why is it the only one who really listens to Viv are other women? My skin crawled whenever the case of the dead girls was mentioned, how obvious their connections were, but how easily the police seemed to brush this aside. As a woman reading the novel, I knew that feeling, the one where you take extra precautions when going out at night, especially alone. Knowing how much evil there is in the dark. Girls are taught from a young age that they must protect themselves from others, that if you weren't extra careful you could become one of "those girls". The ones who never come home. It is heart breaking and terrifying how truthful this book can be. The supernatural aspect of the novel was compelling. This was the driving force behind every action taken. It is Viv seeing the ghosts that leads to her wanting to know what happened, to understand the anger, the rage, the fear. Carly experiences something similar and begins to believe the ghosts are linked to her missing Aunt. The occurrences of the ghosts are not drastic, they are subtle (cigarette smoke lingering, a laugh, footsteps), and this somehow makes the scenes eerier and more believable. When they do become more forceful it is surprising, scary, and usually leads to something important in the novel. This book was well written, making your pulse race at all the right moments, while also opening the readers eyes to the reality of unsolved cases and how many people they affect. If you are looking for a quick read, with a great storyline split between two different eras and two different women, then this is the book for you. You will find yourself propelled forward, hunting for clues with Viv and Carly, finding your way to a horrifying killer.
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