The Perfect Daughter

March 2, 2020
Weak portrayals of the main characters mar this meandering thriller from Souza (Pray for the Girl). Isla Eaves calls the Shepherd’s Bay, Maine, police after she’s awakened early one morning by a noise in her house only to discover that it was just her Alzheimer’s-afflicted father. When officer Karl Bjornson arrives, Isla notes her daughter Katie, a high school junior, isn’t in her room, but—despite another teen having been missing from town for more than three months—neither Isla nor Karl is particularly concerned until the following day when Katie’s best friend, Willow Briggs, is also reported missing. Katie turns up days later, beaten and with temporary memory loss. Karl investigates, but his technique is limited to questioning Katie and having “gut feelings.” Katie meanwhile tries to remember the start of her friendship with Willow, but her internal monologues often don’t sound like that of a teen. Various extraneous plot threads help keep readers guessing, but the true culprits act suspiciously from the very beginning. Souza has done better. Agent: Evan Marshall, Evan Marshall Agency.

April 1, 2020

In his third novel, Souza (Pray for the Girl) invites readers to Shepherd's Bay, ME, a small fishing town that has recently had an influx of wealthy outsiders building massive homes on the beachfront. This disparity causes tensions between the poor residents and the newcomers. Before the novel starts, a rich boy named Dakota has gone missing. Local policeman Karl, a native of Shepherd's Bay, has been looking everywhere for him. Meanwhile, Isla, Karl's high school flame, reports that her teenage daughter Katie is missing, along with Katie's wealthy friend Willow. Katie is found two days later and wakes in the hospital without remembering what led to her disappearance. The hunt for Willow and Dakota divides the townspeople further. Karl, Isla, and Katie search for Willow, leading to a surprising ending. Each short chapter is told from the point of view of either Karl, Isla, or Katie. VERDICT The story is timely with the examination of wealthy newcomers versus blue-collar townspeople leading to anger and violence. The ending is well-designed, and readers will likely enjoy the overall story. Fans of Souza's previous works and books by Michael Koryta will find this worthwhile.--Jason L. Steagall, Arapahoe Libs., Centennial, Colorado

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2020
Maine resident Souza (Pray for the Girl, 2019) has a knack for describing towns in transition. This time it's Maine's Shepherd's Bay, where high-schooler Willow Briggs, who lives in the town's growing wealthy neighborhood, and her best friend, Katie, a townie, are missing. Katie is soon found alive but can't remember anything, and it's up to her mother, a hairdresser who works too hard to keep her family afloat because of her husband's alcoholism, and a cop who's the mom's one who got away, to uncover Willow's fate, as well as that of a local boy who's also missing. Katie's brother has a severe form of diabetes and uses a service dog; the depiction of a sick child and his family toughing out the illness adds to what is an absorbing, well-written story of determination, the dangers of a lust for fame, and what it's like to be on the outside of privilege, looking in. Recommend to fans of Emily Littlejohn.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)