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The One I Left Behind: A Novel by [Jennifer McMahon]

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Jennifer McMahon

The One I Left Behind: A Novel Kindle Edition

by Jennifer McMahon (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

389 ratings

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“One of the brightest new stars of literary suspense.”
—Los Angeles Times

New York Times bestselling author Jennifer McMahon is back with a gut-wrenching mystery about an architect whose troubled mother has been found 25 years after being kidnapped—by a killer who is still on the loose

The summer of 1985 changed Reggie’s life. Thirteen, awkward, and without a father, she finds herself mixed up with her school’s outcasts—Charlie, the local detective’s son, and Tara, a goth kid who has a mental hold over Reggie and harbors a dark secret. That same summer a serial killer called Neptune begins kidnapping women. He leaves their severed hands on the police department steps and, five days later, displays their bodies around town. Just when Reggie needs her mother Vera—an ex-model with many “boyfriends” and a thirst for gin—the most, Vera’s hand is found on the steps. But after five days, there’s no body and Neptune disappears.

Now a successful architect who left her hometown behind after that horrific summer, Reggie doesn’t trust anyone and lives with few attachments. But when she gets a call from a homeless shelter saying that her mother has been found alive, Reggie must confront the ghosts of her past and find Neptune before he kills again.

With her signature style, Jennifer McMahon portrays the dark side of adolescent friendship and introduces characters who haunt the imagination, along with a disturbing web of secrets, betrayals, and murder.

Length: 432 pages	Word Wise: Enabled	Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled
Page Flip: Enabled	Audible Narration: Audible Narration Switch back and forth between reading the Kindle book and listening to the Audible narration. Add narration for a reduced price of $14.99 after you buy the Kindle book. Ready	Language: English

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Product description

From the Inside Flap

From the New York Times bestselling author of Burntown and Promise Not to Tell comes a gut-wrenching thriller about a missing mother and the serial killer who returns twenty-five years later

The summer of 1985 changes Reggie's life. An awkward thirteen-year-old, she finds herself mixed up with the school outcasts. That same summer, a serial killer called Neptune begins kidnapping women. He leaves their severed hands on the police department steps and, five days later, displays their bodies around town. Just when Reggie needs her mother, Vera, the most, Vera's hand is found on the steps. But after five days, there's no body and Neptune disappears.

Now, twenty-five years later, Reggie is a successful architect who has left her hometown and the horrific memories of that summer behind. But when she gets a call revealing that her mother has been found alive, Reggie must confront the ghosts of her past and find Neptune before he kills again.

--Oklahoma City Oklahoman --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From the Back Cover

From the New York Times bestselling author of Burntown and Promise Not to Tell comes a gut-wrenching thriller about a missing mother and the serial killer who returns twenty-five years later

--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

ASIN : B0089LONC8
Publisher : William Morrow Paperbacks (2 January 2013)
Language : English
File size : 704 KB
Text-to-Speech : Enabled
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 422 pages

Best Sellers Rank: 528,312 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- 2,509 in Kidnapping Thrillers
- 4,724 in Serial Killer Thrillers
- 5,217 in Psychological Thrillers (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
389 ratings

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Customer reviews

5 star		53%
4 star		28%
3 star		13%
2 star		4%
1 star		2%

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Lynne

Suspense

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 October 2014

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I gave the book a four star as if didn't quite deserve the five. It was written as a easy read,however I would have preferred more action early on in the book. You have to wait until the end to get the feel of the killer.

Silver student

Murder and mystery with a twist

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 February 2013

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Good storyline that grips the reader from the start. A missing woman presumed murdered turns up decades later with no memory. Good story written through the daughters eyes. Only drawback was the flashbacks which tend to annoy the reader.

Scott Kennedy

Great characters, but a disappointing and predictable murder plotline

Reviewed in the United States on 23 August 2013

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I really loved McMahon's Don't Breath a Word, but this thriller just didn't hold up for me. There's a lot of time jumping in this book, both in chapters that alternate between the present (2010) and 25 years prior, further compounded by constant flashbacks within the POV character's thoughts. While McMahon's prose is smooth, precise and unencumbered, the constant flashbacks, especially within the first quarter of the book, kept bouncing me out of the narrative and made the book a tougher read than I'd expected. I found myself wishing I could just read a scene that progressed from start to finish without constant diversions into the past. But the presence of the past is in large part essential to McMahon's theme in this book, so I expect the effect is intentional, even if it didn't work particularly well for this one reader.

But mainly I'm giving the book two stars based on the serial killer plot, which I found both predictable (the murderer is relatively easy to guess early on) and unbelievable by the end.

The strengths here are the characters. Reggie Dufrane is a fine protagonist, and her relationships with her friends and struggles with the issues of her family and past are all compelling. If you enjoy McMahon's characters, it's still worth the read. I just found myself wishing that the book had dealt with its serial killer in a more realistic fashion, perhaps by leaving it unsolved, because the resolution presented felt predictable, forced and unbelievable to me.

12 people found this helpful

Britt R.

Good thriller

Reviewed in the United States on 5 January 2014

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I love a good thriller. Something that makes my skin crawl, my thoughts get muddled, and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I love it when a book leaves me confused and worried and tense. The One I Left Behind is one of those books.

Reggie was only 13 when Neptune, the serial killer haunting her town, took her mother. He removes the right hand of his victims on day one, and leaves their bodies on day five. But when Reggie's mother is taken, her hand is found, but her body never surfaces. Just as this happens, Reggie's friendships are being put to the test, and she needs someone to be there to help her through it all.

25 years later, Reggie has found a way to live beyond her past, becoming a renowned architect. The past still plagues her though. She doesn't trust people enough to form solid relationships; she keeps people at a distance. When her mother is brought to a hospital, diagnosed with cancer, Reggie must head home to face the past she wishes would just stay away.

The story is told in the present and 25 years ago, through the eyes of 13-year-old Reggie. As an adult, she is starting to see that everything she thought her childhood was maybe wasn't exactly as she remembered it. She's having to face things she never thought would come up again and she learns truths she had never questioned as a child. Her mother is dying and still faces the demons of her past, now a shadow of the woman she used to be.

As a 13 year old, Reggie didn't see the truth of her mother; she saw what her mother told her. Her aunt was trying to protect her, but all Reggie saw was an aunt who despised her mother. Reggie knew her mother was flighty, but she didn't see the seedier side of her life. When the murders begin, she isn't prepared for the toll they will take on her relationships, both with her family and friends. She's trying to grow up, confused as to how to do so, and no one is there to help her.

In the present, all those old insecurities and problems arise once her mother is brought home. She must face the past and confront it head on in order to find a way to move forward with her life.

I must say, this book had me guessing the entire way through. I had a hunch, and while my hunch was correct, I was wholly unprepared for the reveal. I tried to figure everything out, look at all the little clues, but I didn't see how they fit together until the very end. I was wrapped up in the mystery, trying to figure out Neptune's reasons for what he did, wondering if understanding his head would help me see who he was. I felt a little like a detective as I read and I really appreciate a book that can make me feel that.

The One I Left Behind is about more than a serial killer. It's about growing up, confronting the past, and learning that what you see isn't always the truth. It gave me shivers and had me guessing on the identity of Neptune until the very end. If you're looking for a good thriller, this is your book.

6 people found this helpful

Ginger ALE

too much or.........?

Reviewed in the United States on 27 January 2013

Verified Purchase

This is a 3.5 for me but I gave it the 3 because even tho I liked the main characters I got tired of the Reggie/Tara dynamic fairly early on. I approached this book from a mystery readers bias so the overlong character developments felt like a distraction from the main event. I have not read other books by Jennifer McMahon so this may be her style as she applies it TO the serial killer/mystery genre.In that case other readers may well enjoy the overlong character/web/interconnections focus of the novel.It is a major theme of the book but an author can suggest many interconnections between people without writing them word for word into the book.The reader may have to work a little harder but may also be bored a lot less.
I am not very good at guessing "who-dun-it" but I figured out the killer very early on. This detracted from the books appeal. About 1/2 way in I simply HAD to cut to the end & then back track & read here and there to maintain my interest in the story & the multiple characters. But I did read 95% of it so I was at least intrigued enough to keep going & get to the end. I would have edited this book down by about 100 pages -- it is simply too long to support the plot & the readers full interest.

9 people found this helpful

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