The Prized Girl
A Novel
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- ¥1,300
発行者による作品情報
From debut author Amy K. Green comes a devastating tale of psychological suspense: A teen pageant queen is found murdered in a small New England town and her sister's search for answers unearths more than she bargained for.
Days after a young pageant queen named Jenny is found murdered, her small town grieves the loss alongside her picture-perfect parents. At first glance, Jenny's tragic death appears clear-cut for investigators. The most obvious suspect is one of her fans, an older man who may have gotten too close for comfort. But Jenny's half-sister, Virginia—the sarcastic black sheep of the family—isn't so sure of his guilt and takes matters into her own hands to find the killer.
But for Jenny's case and Virginia's investigation, there's more to the story. Virginia, still living in town and haunted by her own troubled teenage years, suspects that a similar darkness lies beneath the sparkling veneer of Jenny's life. Alternating between Jenny's final days and Virginia's determined search for the truth, the sisters' dual narratives follow a harrowing trail of suspects, with surprising turns that race toward a shocking finale.
Infused with dark humor and driven by two captivating young women, The Prized Girl tells a heartbreaking story of missed connections, a complicated family, and a town's disturbing secrets.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set in small-town New England, Green's disappointing debut introduces Virginia Kennedy a dysfunctional 26-year-old estranged from her family, but obsessed with solving the apparent rape and murder of her half-sister, 13-year-old beauty queen Jenny Kennedy. The authorities like intellectually disabled Benjy Lincoln for the crime; he attended all of Jenny's pageants, and Jenny's overprotective mother recently accused him of trying to molest Jenny. Virginia isn't persuaded, though, particularly since Jenny's body was found near the house of Mark Renkin, the high school teacher with whom then-teenage Virginia had a four-year sexual relationship. When Det. Brandon Colsen shows an interest in Virginia, she takes advantage of their burgeoning romance to join his investigation. Virginia's first-person narrative alternates with third-person chapters chronicling Jenny's final days. Unconvincing characters, manufactured conflict, and clich d plot devices plague this meandering mystery. The pace quickens in the book's second half, but the grim and twisted conclusion fails to satisfy. Though the epilogue opens the door for a sequel, Green would do well to begin anew.
