1 Day Live - "One Night Gone" by Tara Laskowski

My first blog review is of "One Night Gone".

Creepy Setting - Excellent Fall/Winter Mystery

This was an excellent mystery. Tara Laskowski has woven two alternative narrations together, past and present, to create a compelling, intriguing, confusing, somewhat creepy whodunnit.

First, the setting. A beach town in the off-season in the present; same town during the peak season in the past. This was so fun to read. I could feel the cold ocean chill during Allison's narration, and I could taste the fried carnival zeppole during Maureen's narration. I couldn't think of a better setting for a missing girl mystery. Is there anything more chilling and lonesome then the ocean in the winter in a seemingly abandoned town; conversely, is there anything more exhilarating than being young and in love on the beach in the summer? I was thrilled by this setting choice. It was very "Lost Boys", my favorite movie, which is set in the fictional beach town of "Santa Carla, the murder capital of the world".

I love a creepy carnival this time of year

Next, the characters. Laskowski nails it. Maureen is a young, traveling carny worker, a "summer girl" to the locals. She's broke, broken, and out of place with her new group of "local" friends. Clay is a rich local, whose family owns multiple seafood restaurants in the town. Tammy isn't rich, but she's richer than Maureen, and she sees value in a Maureen, where most people just see white trash. The ancillary characters are Clay's rich, snooty parents, his rogue uncle, Tammy's suspicious roommate, and the general group of rich future frat boys. And in the present, we have Allison, a tv meteorologist running from her past and hiding out as a housesitter in town during the off-season. I know this isn't a "cozy mystery", but I found the entire Allison plot perfect for putting on my cozy reading socks and diving into this book next to a roaring fire. She's alone in this huge house, shell-shocked by her past, unsure about her future, AND terrified by her present.

Finally, the mystery. Allison is intrigued when she learns that Maureen went missing over 20 years ago, and nobody has a clue (nor in some cases, a care), what happened to her. Some speculate that she was murdered, some think she fled, others think she simply moved on with the traveling carnival. Allison investigates the case with her new friend, the now-older Tammy. Along the way, she's creeped out by strange sounds in the house, odd items left at her doorstep, and bizarre encounters with locals.

There is of course a big reveal at the end, and sure I guessed it along the way. However, the predictability of whodunnit didn't alter my opinion of this book, nor did it detract from my enjoyment.

My one criticism of this book is that Maureen's past wasn't fleshed out enough. There are hints at her having had a hard life, but there's not enough there.

Overall, I recommend this mystery to anyone who loves a good creep-out.

Expected Publication: October 1, 2019