The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel

The Roanoke Girls was … wow. Okay, so it’s been too long since I’ve read a thriller, and this was really satisfying. The Roanoke Girls follows Lane Roanoke. Lane’s mother died when she was fifteen, and she was sent to live her grandparents, who were already raising her cousin Allegra. Allegra explains their family’s tragic history, and how all ‘The Roanoke Girls’ either ran away or died. Lane is disturbed, but she feels at home for the first time with her grandfather and cousin. But when she finds out her family’s secret, she runs away to avoid the same fate as all the other Roanoke girls. Eleven years later, though, Allegra goes missing. Lane comes back to Kansas, determined to find out what happened to her.

The Roanoke Girls turned out to have all the most important elements of a thriller. There were switching points of views, and time, to give only a fragmented picture to the reader. The suspicion swings from one theory to another, accusations fall on one character then another, and the final resolution is a complete surprise. And, there’s a creepy house. I like the fast pace of this story. I kept turning pages, and finished this book in one day. It doesn’t drag on, but it’s a perfect thriller. The psychology of the characters, and why they do the things that they do sticks with you long after you finish reading. The characters were fleshed out well, with distinct personalities. None of them were perfectly good or bad, but fell into the more realistic gray zone. Overall, The Roanoke Girls an engrossing read, and keeps you on the edge of your seat. You won’t be able to put this book down until you finish!
  After her mother’s suicide, fifteen year-old Lane Roanoke came to live with her grandparents and fireball cousin, Allegra, on their vast estate in rural Kansas. Lane knew little of her mother’s mysterious family, but she quickly embraced life as one of the rich and beautiful Roanoke girls. But when she discovered the dark truth at the heart of the family, she ran…fast and far away. Eleven years later, Lane is adrift in Los Angeles when her grandfather calls to tell her Allegra has gone missing. Did she run too? Or something worse? Unable to resist his pleas, Lane returns to help search, and to ease her guilt at having left Allegra behind. Her homecoming may mean a second chance with the boyfriend whose heart she broke that long ago summer. But it also means facing the devastating secret that made her flee, one she may not be strong enough to run from again. As it weaves between Lane’s first Roanoke summer and her return, The Roanoke Girls shocks and tantalizes, twisting its way through revelation after mesmerizing revelation, exploring the secrets families keep and the fierce and terrible love that both binds them together and rips them apart. 
Disclaimer: I received this book from BloggingForBooks.com