‘After She’s Gone’ by Maggie James

After She’s Gone

Lori Golden’s family has a troubled history, and though she and her sister have had plenty to deal with, both look forward to a hopeful future. But when Jessie is murdered, the past comes back to haunt Lori and her family in ways she’d never imagined.

Struggling to come to terms with the killing, Lori’s suspicions begin to fill her every waking hour. As secrets and lies emerge from the woodwork, it’s hard to know who to trust. With an arsonist and a murderer on the loose, it seems someone is targeting the Golden family…

This is a fascinating story told (for a change) from the point of view of the victims. Maggie James gets right inside the grief and torment of her characters as they strive to deal with their loss. Though there are plenty of false leads along the way, all are completely believable, making it jolly difficult to work out who the killer is. Ms James builds the tension gradually, reflecting the shifting relationships of the family as they reveal their secrets and eventually discover the truth.

I’d have to say that while I thoroughly enjoyed ‘After She’s Gone’, I felt it wasn’t quite as slick as the author’s previous book ‘His Kidnapper’s Shoes‘. Nevertheless, this a well-written and absorbing read, tackling a difficult subject with more than a degree of style. Highly recommended.