The Girl From Widow Hills by Megan Miranda

The Girl From Widow Hills by Megan Miranda.
Published in ebook 4th June 2020, and hardback and audio formats on 2nd July 2020.
Read June 2020.

Twenty years ago, Ardon Maynor, then aged just six years old, was the centre of a media frenzy after she went missing for three days. Thought to have been swept away in a downpour while sleepwalking, she was found alive against all the odds, clinging desperately to a storm drain.

Ardon's misadventure brought her fame and unwanted celebrity, and sadly made her the object of creeps and stalkers. As soon as she was old enough, Arden said goodbye to Widow Hills and her birth name, and embarked on a new life as the unknown Olivia Meyer.

As she nears the twentieth anniversary of her traumatic ordeal, Olivia discovers that the mother she had become estranged from has died leaving just a few possessions that have found their way to her new home in Central Valley. The news of her mother's death has awakened the feeling that she is being watched, and with it the night terrors and sleep walking that plagued her childhood.

Then one night, Olivia jolts awake in the yard of her remote house with the corpse of a murdered man at her feet... a man from the past she had left in Widow Hills.

Olivia is about the become the focus of unwanted attention once more - attention that may force her to reveal the secrets she has been keen to hide for so long. What really happened all those years ago in Widow Hills, and why can't she remember?

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I am a big fan of Megan Miranda's thrillers, so was really looking forward to reading The Girl From Widow Hills - and dear readers, I was not disappointed!

This time, our tale centres on Arden Maynor, the girl who miraculously survived three days in the drainage system under the small town of Widow Hills: the girl who was only found after an extensive search that involved the emergency services and American citizens from near and far, after an impassioned plea from Arden's mother for help to find her missing child. She is the girl who became a celebrity and brought her the kind of fame that made her public property in the eyes of many.

The story picks up from the time nearing the twentieth anniversary of the finding of the girl from Widow Hills, where we find Arden now living as Olivia Meyer, a young woman content with her life in Central Valley, where she has been living quietly for a couple of years. working as an administrator in a local hospital. Olivia's past experiences have made her wary of confiding in others, but she has tentatively made a few friends and sees herself making this small town her home. Until events take a turn that Olivia was not expecting; events that shatter her new found peace and bring the past back into sharp focus... but no spoilers from me!

I really enjoyed how the action is broken up by delicious snippets from the past in the form of witness interviews, news reports and emergency call transcripts that allow the reader to piece together what happened not only twenty years ago, but also on other significant anniversaries of the event. So, as the story races along, and the tension increases, you get to learn more about Olivia's background, the events that have formed her into the person she has become, and how she finds herself mixed up in the difficult situation that now presents itself - and why she reacts likes she does.

The pacing is nigh on perfect, and I found myself so caught up in Olivia's story that I raced greedily through the pages, desperate to reach the conclusion - which, by the way, was fabulously twisty and shocking - and certainly blindsided me!

Although this story is fictional, it asks some interesting questions about the fallout from the media furore, and resulting public attention, that traumatic events like this can foster, particularly where missing children are involved. It's all too easy for individual's to become famous in these circumstances and for them to be seen as public property for the rest of their lives - especially when the public feel that have invested time and energy in the victim's survival (even if this is only watching the situation play out in the media). Very thought provoking indeed, even if there are no easy answers.

I can't really say much more about The Girl From Widow Hills without giving something away too much of the gripping story, so I will leave it here by telling you that this is an excellent, creepy thriller that will keep you awake at night - both turning the pages and listening carefully to every little sound in the darkness. Get yourself a copy now. you won't be sorry!

Thank you to Megan Miranda and Corvus for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review, and to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

From the cover of the book:

The aftermath of the media frenzy that surrounded Arden's traumatic experience, 

and the book that her mother wrote about the incident, brought her celebrity 

and made her public property in the eyes of many. 

Although her mother seemed to enjoy the fame, and the money that came with it, 

Arden could not wait to escape all the attention and live an ordinary life.

When Arden Maynor was six years old, she was swept away in a terrifying storm 

and went missing for days. Against all odds, she was found alive, clinging to a storm drain. 

Fame followed, and so did fans, creeps and stalkers. 

As soon as she was old enough, Arden changed her name 

and left Widow Hills behind.

Twenty years later, Olivia, as she is now known, is plagued by night terrors. 

She often finds herself out of bed in the middle of the night, 

sometimes streets away from her home. 

Then one evening she jolts awake in her yard, with the corpse of a man at her feet.

The girl from Widow Hills is about to become the centre of the story, once again...

About the author:

Megan Miranda is the author of All The Missing Girls, The Perfect Stranger, and The Last
House Guest, which was the August 2019 Reese’s Book Club x Hello Sunshine pick. 

She grew up in New Jersey, graduated from MIT, and lives in North Carolina with her husband
and two children.
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