Black-Eyed Susans
Julia Heaberlin
2015, 368 pages
Fiction
Tessa Cartwright was found, barely alive, in a Texas field at 16 among the bones of three other young women and a field of black-eyed susans. She could never remember what happened to her, but the supposed killer was caught and Tessa’s testimony put him on death row. Almost 20 years later, Tessa is terrified to discover a patch of freshly transplanted black-eyed susans blooming under her window – in February. Did she get it wrong? Is her attacker back? Armed only with old clues and fragmentary memories, Tessa begins to track down what really happened that night, but her efforts may be endangering everyone around her.
Black-Eyed Susans was enjoyable to read. The pacing is very quick; plot elements seem to happen rapidly, and the short chapters enhance that effect. The switching of viewpoints between Tessa at 16, Tessa at 36 and various other characters was effective at adding to the urgency of the narrative. I was caught up in the storyline right up until the end, which was marred by the unrealistic twist that the author reveals.
If you enjoy Laura Lippman or Gillian Flynn, I would recommend this book.
Nora Cascadden
Concord Public Library
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