“She hadn’t left the house in days. It was much safer to stay inside, behind barred and bolted doors. But she was going to deliver that letter if it was the last thing she ever did.
And, as it turned out, it was.”
“Dragonfly Summer”, by JH Moncrieff
I’m delighted to join the Blog Tour for “Dragonfly Summer” by JH Moncrieff. Many thanks to Anne of Random Things Tours, the publishers Flame Tree Press, and of course the author for organising the tour and gifting me a copy of the ebook.
The story:
Just before her graduation, honor student Samantha Kennedy went missing. The only suspect at the time was boyfriend Doug Flaherty, who was released without charge.
Jo Carter escaped the small town of Clear Springs for New York as soon as she could, leaving her unhappy childhood and cruel father, but also her friends, behind. But now an anonymous message has drawn her back, and Jo is determined to uncover the truth behind her best friend’s disappearance.
But without being able to trust her own memory, how can Jo get to the bottom of events that happened 27 years ago? And will the secrets she uncovers be worth the risk?
My thoughts:
I read “Dragonfly Summer” by JH Moncrieff in just a few sittings, and this twisty, fast-paced thriller gives just the right balance of plot and excitement!
Jo’s childhood home of Clear Springs, a small town in Minnesota, is the perfect setting for the mystery of Sam’s disappearance to play out. Everyone knows everyone else, and they all seem to have secrets to hide. That is apart from Jo, whose memory loss means she’s discovering the town’s hidden past along with the rest of us.
Jo is a tenacious and likeable character, drawn back to her childhood home even though she hates it, to try and find out what happened to her friend. And there are plenty of suspects to consider! From Sam’s creepy younger brother, to her aloof and unhelpful father, to ex-boyfriend Doug, there’s no shortage of motives for Jo to try and unearth. But the biggest questions of all are — is Sam really dead, and if so, how can she be sending messages to Jo?
The story has supernatural elements to it, but nothing that couldn’t be explained so it is left up to the reader to decide… Spooky stuff! I would recommend this book to all fans of psychological thrillers where small towns hide big secrets. I’ll be looking out for more of JH Moncrieff’s books to fill the dark winter nights!
Pages: 320
Published: 15th November 2022
Rating: 🐈🐈🐈🐈/5
About the author
JH Moncrieff is the author of nearly twenty books of dark fiction. “City of Ghosts” won the 2018 Kindle Book Review Award for Best Horror/Suspense. She won Harlequin’s international search for “the next Gillian Flynn” in 2016.
Moncrieff began her writing career as a journalist. Her articles have appeared in many publications, including Chatelaine, FLARE, Writer’s Digest, and The Globe and Mail.
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