Review: The Other Girl by Erica Spindler

Title: The Other Girl
Author: Erica Spindler
Pages: 352
Genre: Mystery, Fiction
Source: Free ARC from St. Martin’s Press

Rating: 3 stars

Note: As stated under the Source (above), I received this book for free from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley. I pride myself on writing fair and honest reviews.

Summary: Officer Miranda Rader thought she had put her troubled youth behind her. That is, until the murder of a local college professor brings her past into the present. As she investigates, more and more questions arise, and the mistakes she made in the past put her own credibility into question. What really happened fifteen years ago? Will she ever be able to let go of her past?

Review: There was a lot of potential in this story. The plot was decent, but not particularly well-executed. A different title should have been used. The relationship between Miranda and her partner wasn’t fleshed out enough, and the cadence of the story became awkward and stilted whenever their fledgling relationship was the focus. Towards the end there is a misdirect that was entirely too brief to be effective. And the explanation for Miranda’s being pulled in didn’t really work for me.

But. The reflections on her past were well done and really helped me buy into Miranda and empathize with her situation. While her budding romance with her partner felt contrived, her connection to everyone else in the story felt much more real and natural. And I liked her, identified with her, and empathized with her. Connecting with the main character is essential for me, so that aspect of the story made up for some of the shortcomings.

Ultimately, it was ok. As I said, there was a lot of potential in the story, and I did like it. But there were several areas of the book that were off-key and threw off my overall reading experience. I’d definitely give the author a second chance in the future.

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