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Saturday, August 25, 2012

Review: Ghost Flower by Michele Jaffe

Eve, a runaway, finds a new job at a coffee shop on the outskirts of Tuscon. When she's approached by two wealthy teens who claim she bears an uncanny resemblance to their missing cousin Aurora, her life takes a turn for the dark and mysterious. Drawn into a scheme to win Aurora's inheritance, Eve finds herself impersonating the girl, who disappeared three years ago on the night her best friend Elizabeth died. But when Liza's ghost begins to haunt Eve, doing harm to the people close to her under the guise of "protecting" her, Eve finds herself in a nightmare maze of lies and deception that leads her to question even her own identity. She realizes her only chance is to uncover the truth about what happened the night Liza died, and to find Liza's killer - before she's next.
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Ghost Flower is yet another Michele Jaffe novel packed with secrets, lies, and drama. I've read most of Jaffe's books, from various genres and subgenres, and I'm always impressed by her storytelling abilities, but it's the thrillers, like Rosebush and Ghost Flower, that I find most impressive. 

Usually, I find mysteries all too predictable, but that's never the case with Jaffe's novels. Even if I think I've got the twist figured out, I'm never completely sure. And half the time I'm only partially correct and Jaffe has something else up her sleeve.

I appreciate the fact that the main focus of Ghost Flower is the mystery, not the romance  or any other less important plot lines. Those other aspects are there - and they're very well done - but the story line doesn't meander pointlessly. I can't say I've read very many YA mysteries that keep focus as well as Jaffe's novels.

Ghost Flower had an almost cinematic quality. I could easily see it being made into a film. In fact, since it's a relatively quick read, I actually felt like I'd just spent the last few hours watching a movie. The characters were clearly formed in my head and I found myself rewinding and rewatching my mental images to search for clues as the mystery slowly unraveled.

Fans of psychological thrillers will quickly become fans of Ghost Flower, but I urge everyone with a few extra hours to pick up one of Jaffe's novels. 

Razorbill, April 2012, Paperback, ISBN: 9781595143969, 358 pages.

3 comments:

  1. I've been meaning to read this book, as I love Jaffe's other novels, but just haven't had the time to squeeze it in. Great review and so glad her books are getting reviewed. She's a wonderful writer!

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  2. Yay this sounds good! I loved Rosebush, so I'm gonna read this one too :)

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  3. Hi! I've only ever read one book of Michele Jaffe's and that was Rosebush and I.Loved.It. You're right, her writing style and way of building up the mystery is nothing but admirable! I'm going to pick up Ghost Flower as soon as I can - thanks for the great review!

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