Girl at the Grave by Teri Bailey Black
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I was given this ARC by the publisher in return for an honest review.
I have to start out by saying I couldn’t read this story during my commute, because I got so invested in it that one time I only made it home through sheer muscle memory. At one point I found myself on a bus and only hoped it went to my destination.
What a journey this story was! If I remember correctly, one of my favourite authors wrote a review on Girl at the Grave and I immediately had to read it. I was so ready to plunge in head first that I didn’t even read the year that was announced at the beginning of the first chapter.
The characters, all of them, but especially the protagonist, were so richly imagined and created that I constantly imagined sitting/standing right next to them. The protagonist, in particular, was great to follow on this mysterious endeavour. I felt with her and for her. She felt real and it was easy to like her.
The plot was intriguing to say the least and it is all I can really say without unintentionally giving anything away, but small towns and murders always have excellent potential to make for great stories, which was certainly accomplished with this one.
The writing was bewitching. As I mentioned above, I was incapable of doing anything else until I had finished it.
Overall, even though this is a story about a 17-year-old young woman, it felt less like a young adult novel and more like a murder mystery with a slightly gothic touch. It was a great, engaging and quick read that satisfied my desire for a perfect read to be part of my vacation reading list.
