I don't read a lot of mysteries or thrillers anymore, but when I received DEAD GIRL MOON by Charlie Price, I was intrigued. The premise had promise, and Charlie Price is an Edgar Award-winning author, so I was sure I wouldn't be disappointed.
Grace ran away from home to escape her abusive older brothers, and she figured that any life was better than the one she was leaving behind. Mick decided that he was tired of running from the law with his petty thief of a father, and he’s determined to put down some roots and make a new life for himself. JJ feels trapped in a tiny town where she’s all but invisible. When their lives intersect in the small town of Portage, Montana, their unlikely friendship might be precisely what each of them needs. But when they accidentally discover a dead body, they’re afraid to come forward with what they’ve found, because they suspect the murderer might be one of the powerful men who run their sleepy little town. As they make one mistake after another, bumbling through their attempts to stay out of the spotlight, Grace, Mick and JJ find themselves hopelessly ensnarled in the middle of a murder investigation, where they might be the most likely suspects.
Price’s tale of three unlikely allies, hunting for a murderer in a small town where everyone is hiding something, holds the promise of an intense thrill ride. Unfortunately, however, the novel doesn’t live up to its full potential. The narrative skips between multiple points of view, never stopping long enough with any one character to truly scratch the surface characterization, and readers are unable to fully step into the promised intrigue, leaving the story somewhat limp and lifeless.
For someone who reads for the action and plot more than character development, this might be a fine novel, but for me, I was disappointed that I couldn't find even one character in the story to care about.
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