The Endless Search, by Karen Wolff, FEB 2022 LTER
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Disclaimer: An electronic copy of this book was provided in exchange for review by publishers BHC Press, via Library Thing.
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Wolff has made some odd choices in this unsolved-disappearance novel, and readers may be puzzled by some and disappointed by others.
The novel begins with the 1971 disappearance of two high school girls bound for a graduation-week kegger at a local sandpit. The prime suspect is a creepy classmate whose obsession with one of the girls has edged over the line into minor, but still disturbing, violence. Police are unable to make a case against the boy, and his locally prominent family is less than cooperative in the investigation, which is soon shelved.
Years later, when forensic DNA technology manages to convict the young man, Eli, of several other sexual assaults, political pressures lead to the formation of a Cold Case project, and the 1971 disappearance is at the top of the list.
Wolff does a good job overall of showing how surviving families (both of the disappeared and of those suspected in being complicit in the disappearance) are impacted by the unresolved issues. She is perhaps a bit heavy-handed with her portrayal of Eli as she traces his twisted development into a serial sexual abuser – how many times does she have to remind us that he’s an abusive bully? She also paints a broad trail for investigators to follow as they ultimately become aware of his activities and then work to bring him to justice.
Since this is a work of fiction, and not a true-crime or “based on real events” tale, one must wonder why Wolff purposely chose a resolution that will leave many readers scratching their heads and pointing at unresolved plot threads. This is not a “bad” book – though either Wolff or her proofreader needs to learn the difference between “peek” and “peak” – but there are a lot of other “not bad” books out there and this one does little to rise in the ranks.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Wolff has made some odd choices in this unsolved-disappearance novel, and readers may be puzzled by some and disappointed by others.
The novel begins with the 1971 disappearance of two high school girls bound for a graduation-week kegger at a local sandpit. The prime suspect is a creepy classmate whose obsession with one of the girls has edged over the line into minor, but still disturbing, violence. Police are unable to make a case against the boy, and his locally prominent family is less than cooperative in the investigation, which is soon shelved.
Years later, when forensic DNA technology manages to convict the young man, Eli, of several other sexual assaults, political pressures lead to the formation of a Cold Case project, and the 1971 disappearance is at the top of the list.
Wolff does a good job overall of showing how surviving families (both of the disappeared and of those suspected in being complicit in the disappearance) are impacted by the unresolved issues. She is perhaps a bit heavy-handed with her portrayal of Eli as she traces his twisted development into a serial sexual abuser – how many times does she have to remind us that he’s an abusive bully? She also paints a broad trail for investigators to follow as they ultimately become aware of his activities and then work to bring him to justice.
Since this is a work of fiction, and not a true-crime or “based on real events” tale, one must wonder why Wolff purposely chose a resolution that will leave many readers scratching their heads and pointing at unresolved plot threads. This is not a “bad” book – though either Wolff or her proofreader needs to learn the difference between “peek” and “peak” – but there are a lot of other “not bad” books out there and this one does little to rise in the ranks.
