A fast-paced, unpredictable mystery you’ll devour in a single sitting.
Morgan’s Landing is a tight-knit community of residents who enjoy life on their island home. The modern-day Morgans, ancestors of the man for whom the town was named, are well-known in the area for their wealth and influence. So when Jim Brady, a twelve-year veteran of the police department, hears, “Julie Morgan is missing,” he doesn’t hesitate. And why would he? Julie may be a teenager, but she takes her studies seriously, has never been one to disappoint her parents, and is a good kid by all accounts. There’s almost no chance she ran away from home, and there isn’t any time to waste in the case of an abduction, so Jim begins his investigation with the most likely suspects. A former janitor from the high school. A registered sex offender. A well-liked teacher. Jim’s son Colin, though Jim insists this one is a long shot. Tips begin pouring in, leads are followed, and tensions run high as the search expands. Julie has a twin sister, two loving parents, and a circle of friends and neighbors invested in bringing her home, but with Jim’s own family life falling apart, will he be able to focus on solving the mystery before Julie’s time runs out?
As an involved father, a loving husband, and longtime Morgan’s Landing resident, Jim Brady is an ideal protagonist. His tenderness as he reflects on personal feelings only makes the teenage girl’s disappearance more painful. Though the story is told largely from Jim’s composed perspective, some chapters open with an agonizing snippet from Julie. These disorienting statements offer a window into her situation and state of mind while dramatically heightening the suspense. The author makes a bold choice in including a paroled sex offender portrayed in a nearly empathetic light. While nobody in the novel condones those actions, the characters strive to understand the viewpoint of a man weighed down by poor choices and a burden he never asked to bear. This kind of framing invites readers to grapple with their own biases and moral judgments as Jim struggles to do the same thing. Without overt criminal displays or needless gore, Linda Griffin builds suspense in her novel like a Hitchcock film creates fear, with an uneasy atmosphere and the internal struggles of relatable characters. Morgan’s Landing is a fast-paced, unpredictable mystery you’ll devour in a single sitting.
