Book Review: And She Was by Alison Gaylin

And She Was by Alison Gaylin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I took to this book, preparing for a challenge. It had been recommended to me by a friend, who couldn't even finish it. So I gladly took it upon myself to prove him wrong.
And She Was is essentially a mystery. Our protagonist is Brenna Spector (spelt incorrectly as Brenda in the blurb, which immediately put me off). Brenna is a private investigator specialising in missing people. She also has a condition which means that she can remember every little detail that has occurred in her life since the disappearance of her sister Clea.
The main arc of the story follows the disappearance of Carol Wentz, who in turn is investigating the case of Iris Neff, a five year old who hasn't been seen in eleven years. A mystery wrapped in an enigma.
The main reason for the three stars is because I found it completely intriguing. I read the novel in a matter of days and had a hunger to find out what happened. It was definitely one of those 'just another chapter' books. Without giving anything away, the ending was a little disappointing. I was expecting it to be, more. I don't know how else to describe it. The timeline was also a little confusing, especially at the beginning.
The characters were all quite unlikable. I found Brenna's assistant Trent to be so annoying and unrealistic. Brenna herself didn't seem to like anyone at all and was very judgemental. Her daughter Maya was a complete brat and her ex-husband Jim seemed very, unforgiving. Jim's new wife Faith was just so picture perfect that she didn't seem real to me.
By the time I'd raced through this, I was left feeling empty and unsatisfied. The ending was not worth the journey. I may attempt another Alison Gaylin in the future. But not anytime soon.

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