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A review by sherrylwriter
The Monsters We Make by Kali White
5.0
After a couple of chapters, I realised I had read this book before in hard cover. However, I was happy to read it again and enjoy. The factual background material (paper boys kidnapped and murdered) added extra depth to the story. So we have both a historical novel (it's set in 1984) and the sense that this could just as well be a story happening right now.
The focus on the boy at the centre of the story, Sammy Cox, provides a keen insight into how predators operate - that it doesn't have to be the dark stranger at all, as we all know. The police detective, Dale Goodkind, gains our sympathy as much as Sammy. Dale can almost do nothing right, but we understand why, and we feel for him. It seems like an unsolvable crime, simply because those who know are so threatened they can't say anything. this is the nature of child abuse.
The author handled the movement back and forth between viewpoint characters very well, and her characters are all strong and believable. Crystal as a budding journalist struggles to tell a story that in 1984 would have been confronting - and yet most of it is happening right under her nose. It's not until she realises the truth that she is able to write it - this is also an insightful view into great journalism. The combination of passion and truth.
It always interests me to read a novel set before mobile phones. We take them for granted now, and they can mess up the plot of a thriller in annoying ways. In this novel, that lack of instant communication is brought home in many ways, and for me it added an extra interest to the solving of the crime.
The focus on the boy at the centre of the story, Sammy Cox, provides a keen insight into how predators operate - that it doesn't have to be the dark stranger at all, as we all know. The police detective, Dale Goodkind, gains our sympathy as much as Sammy. Dale can almost do nothing right, but we understand why, and we feel for him. It seems like an unsolvable crime, simply because those who know are so threatened they can't say anything. this is the nature of child abuse.
The author handled the movement back and forth between viewpoint characters very well, and her characters are all strong and believable. Crystal as a budding journalist struggles to tell a story that in 1984 would have been confronting - and yet most of it is happening right under her nose. It's not until she realises the truth that she is able to write it - this is also an insightful view into great journalism. The combination of passion and truth.
It always interests me to read a novel set before mobile phones. We take them for granted now, and they can mess up the plot of a thriller in annoying ways. In this novel, that lack of instant communication is brought home in many ways, and for me it added an extra interest to the solving of the crime.