What Remains of Her By Eric Rickstad

Good morning, everyone! Today I'm a stop on the TLC blog tour for Eric Rickstad's latest, What Remains of Her. 

Twenty-five years ago, Jonah's wife and daughter went missing. The police suspected Jonah was behind it, but with no bodies and no evidence, the case remained unsolved. Unable to cope with the loss, Jonah eventually lost everything, retreating into the woods to live away from the suspicious eyes of his one time friends and neighbors. 

And then another girl goes missing. One that looks an awful lot like Jonah's little girl. And it can't be ignored that the day she disappears just happens to be the anniversary of Jonah's family's vanishing. 

The book is split into two parts - 1987 and present day. In 1987 we meet Jonah, we know his marriage is a bit rocky and that he's hesitant to mention the strain he and his wife have been feeling. Understandable considering as soon as anyone catches a whiff of it they immediately turn an eye to Jonah as the potential culprit in a crime no one yet knows has been committed.

We also meet young Lucinda, Jonah's daughter's best friend. And the daughter of the local sheriff - who just happens to be Jonah's only friend.

Cut to present day and Lucinda still hasn't forgotten her friend. She's in her early thirties now, running her dad's old store and serving as the town's sheriff's deputy, a job she never wanted but that fell on her because of her dad's old position. Lucinda thinks of Sally all the time, especially as she considers their one-time plans for adulthood and the fact that she's lived the past twenty-five years without Sally by her side. And without knowing what happened.

Jonah is a bit of a pariah. Jonah believes that everyone remembers the case and holds onto a suspicion that Jonah was responsible, even though there've never been any bodies recovered or any evidence of foul play. And so he keeps to himself.

But of course the anniversary of the disappearance and the new missing girl means that Jonah is even more on edge. Especially when he happens to find the girl in question.

What Remains of Her is more than just a thriller about an unsolved missing person's case. It's a harrowing look at what happens to those left behind in the wake of a mystery. Neither Jonah or Lucinda is able to move on. At the same time, Lucinda's own father is still haunted by the case as well. In fact, it could be argued that the entire town is still suffering from the lack of closure in the case.

The combination of tension and emotion is pitch perfect!

To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here.

For more on Eric Rickstad and his work you can visit his website here. You can also like him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.

Purchase Links: HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble