Loved Black-Eyed Susans? Read this follow on by Julia Heaberlin...

⭑⭑⭑⭑  It's difficult to rate Paper Ghosts. For all its implausibility - and there's a healthy dose - it really is a cracking good read. Nearly a 5 rating from me. The premise of hunting down information on the suspected death of her sister seems pretty traditional stuff. But, add to that the fact that our girl 'befriends' the person most likely to be her sister's killer, poses as his daughter and takes him on a road trip to refresh his memory is pure genius! Did I mention he is suffering from dementia?? No matter, the plan is the plan and off we go searching for answers.

How far would you go to find out what happened to a loved one? The answer, for our unnamed heroine, is pretty blasted far. She has studied up on dementia suffers, befriended loads of witnesses throughout the years, trained and prepared all sorts of extravagant disguises. How does she finance all this?? Does she have a job? This not clear. But no matter, our girl's got gumption and will not be swayed from her mission. Though she does undertake all forms of training she doesn't come across as super capable to me. She's got plenty of bright ideas, though, which does help her along. And the killer, you ask? Oh, he is a proper, multifaceted character unlike anything you've read before.

From the author of Black-Eyed Susans, a thoroughly gripping read, Paper Ghosts is a strong, worthwhile follow-up. I suppose if I were being extremely picky I would prefer the forensic specificity of the earlier book but this novel brings us a complete 360 degree shift on the previous thriller. That shows incredible writing chops and flexibility. Julia Heaberlin is certainly an author to be on the lookout for in future.

Paper Ghosts is a taut thrill ride that has plenty of twists you won't see coming and some sweet, touching moments that soften the aggressive edges. There's more depth here than you might expect. The more I think about it, the more I want to rate it a 5.