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Island of Lost Girls

by Jennifer McMahon (Goodreads Author)

3.44 of 5 stars 3.44 · rating details · 4,711 ratings · 735 reviews

One summer day, at a gas station in a small Vermont town, six-year-old Ernestine Florucci is abducted by a person wearing a rabbit suit while her mother is buying lottery tickets. Twenty-three year old Rhonda Farr is the only witness, and she does nothing as she watches the scene unfold – little Ernie goes with the rabbit so casually, confidently getting into the rabbit’s...more

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Published by Sphere (first published January 1st 2008)

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Dec 31, 2008 Krissy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was just as awesome as the other one I've read from Jennifer. I would recommend these books to anyone who likes a good mystery, since both times I thought I had it figured out but then I turned out to be all wrong. And I love it when that happens!! Hopefully she will continue to come up with such amazing stories.

4 likes · like · see review

May 26, 2008 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Sandra

I recently read a positive review of this novel and picked it up at a local bookshop. The main character, Rhonda, is filling her car with gas at a local gas station and witnesses a person dressed in a rabbit costume abduct a 6 year old girl while the girl's mother is inside the station buying lottery tickets. Riddled with guilt over her failure to take action, Rhonda becomes obsessed with aiding in the search for the little girl and does an investigation of her own. At the same time, Rhonda conf...more

6 likes · like · see review

Dec 13, 2007 Patry rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was fortunate enough to get a galley of this thoroughly engrossing novel (scheduled for release in May.) It is the best kind of mystery, one that explores not only the who dunnit, but probes deeply into the dark questions of the human heart.

2 likes · like · see review

Jan 06, 2012 Heather rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Edited to change misinformation. While it did not change from first to third person it still was not written well and the story was not done well.

That should only be 1.5 stars and that is being generous. The main character, Rhonda, is just annoying. She's been pining away after Peter, her childhood friend since she was eleven, but she's twenty three now and has made no move to get a life. She's just graduated from college and is getting gas when she sees a person dressed in a bunny suit abduct a...more

4 likes · like · see review

Aug 27, 2008 Jeanette rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: my-harper-books

Luckily, there's no sophomore slump here. If anything in her new novel, Jennifer McMahon's writing is even more assured. She brings back many of the elements of mystery and memory that made her debut PROMISE NOT TO TELL such as success.

Rhonda Farr never expected to get caught in the middle of a crime. On her way to a job interview, sitting in her car at the gas station, she watches as someone in a big white rabbit costume grabs a young girl from a nearby car. Confused by the absurdity of the inc...more

3 likes · like · see review

Sep 30, 2011 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm just starting this book but I'm finding myself stuck on this: "Trudy's nails were no joke. They were two inches long, filed to points, and showed off a fresh coat of reddish orange that reminded Rhonda of a bleeding Creamsicle."

Ummm... What? is that supposed to be a real person?

update-finished

This was a quick and easy read for me. The plot was not terribly simple and only slightly predictable. This is certainly not a piece of literary art. However, it's interesting enough to be a good way to...more

4 likes · like · see review

Jun 20, 2008 Cicily rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reading-for-review

Reviewed for Eclectica's July issue. Will post link to the review when it is up. Here's a snippet:

With each stop at the gas station, false directions are given towards home. The symbolic nature of "Peter Pan", loves lost, and forests which slowly rot away from the truth lying beneath the floor all work to pull you into this sheer force of plot and character driven narrative. I recommend you dock your senses at the nearest island located between fantasy and reality before taking a hike on this t...more

2 likes · like · see review

Sep 28, 2008 Pete Sikora rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: book marketing people

When you walk into some restaurants, you know they're designed by consultants. That's this book's feel - assembled from a marketing menu.

(reader note: I am revealing a plot detail - stop now if you care) Just like with a restaurant consultant bringing in mini-burgers, we get the short chapters... we get the carefully designed cover... we get the molested kid. And we get the faux-suspense, with a set-up for twists at the end. Alas - the last fifty pages suck too.

The two minutes it will take you...more

7 likes · like · see review

Aug 22, 2008 Sandi rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was hard to get into at first, but it ends up being a decent little mystery that I couldn't put down for the last 50 or so pages. A young woman witnesses a kidnapping but does nothing to stop it. Her guilt sends her on the quest to find the kidnapper (who happens to be dressed as a rabbit) who she worries might be her childhood love. The book alternates between the present (2006) and the past (1993), to a memorable summer that slowly unravels clues to the mystery. There really are two...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 28, 2013 Shauna rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The premise of this book was interesting, and is what prompted me to borrow it from the library. However, I feel that it fell short of my expectations (and I didn't really have any other than reading the back of the book). I did like the storyline, I think the author had good intentions and could have done something great with the plot. I just really think it lacked something, not necessarily something I can put my finger on.

One major thing that I disliked about this book was the names of the c...more

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Jan 23, 2013 Lori rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Summary:
Rhonda is just waiting for her gas to be pumped when Peter rabbit appears in the Volkswagen Beetle and takes little Ernestine away. She doesn't know what to do she just watches, Trudy the girl's mother is furious that she just stood by and did nothing. She has an enormous amount of guilt and begins to pour herself into finding the little girl. Rhonda works phones at the call center and starts her own detective work to find out what happened to Ernie. Her childhood friend Peter is acting...more

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Jul 30, 2012 Kelly rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Alice in Wonderland" was a book that I enjoyed in my childhood, but that somehow creeped me out. There is something very unnatural about someone named the Mad Hatter, who, by the way, will be played by Johnny Depp in an upcoming version (run to your local theater and see "Public Enemies"). While some kids (and adults) just fell into this world with no problem, the analytical side of me did not really want to read about a cat who smiled all the time and about two creatures named Tweedledum and T...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jul 24, 2012 Sara rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Now, I've reviewed another book by this author and I was blown away. I will say that this book captured me right away and I really like how this author creates a story line and builds characters. I may not always like the character (and truth be told I felt like punching Rhonda for being a whining baby about everything and is just too "woe is me" for me to like her.) but I like the role they play in the story.

I felt this book really captured the fascination of child abductions and it made you fe...more

1 like · like · see review

Jan 25, 2012 Tabi34 rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The back of the books was intriguing so I started reading. It took some time to hook me, but eventually I was sucked in and couldn't stop.

The basic synopsis of the book: Ronnie (Rhonda) sees a giant rabbit abduct little Ernie from the convience store/gas station and she didn't do anything. It was too surreal, but reminded her of other times, when she and her friends would look for Easter baskets in the woods. Her friends' father dressing up like the Easter bunny. Her memories took her back to t...more

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Sep 06, 2011 Shazza Maddog rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ms. McMahon has written a very interesting thriller with two stories being told at the same time. Rhonda is a young woman who is heading off for a job interview when she witnesses a kidnapping, one so bizarre, she doesn't even realize at the time what's happening. A car pulls up at the gas station next to her, with a little girl inside, then another car pulls up, a gold VW Beetle, with a giant white rabbit driving. The rabbit takes the girl from the car, puts her in the VW, and drives away, leav...more

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Sep 03, 2010 April rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010-reads

What would you do if you found yourself witnessing a kidnapping? Would you call the police? Would you yell? Scream?

What if the kidnapper were wearing a rabbit costume? A full on ears and tail rabbit costume? Would you think you were watching a scene from a hidden camera show? Would you think it was a bad joke?

Rhonda pulls into the mini mart, the lone gas station for miles, on her way to an important job interview. While she waits for the gas to fill her tank...she sees it happen in front of her...more

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Apr 22, 2013 Bandit rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Jennifer McMahon seems to be one of those writers who gets better with time or age. Since I have been reading her books out of chronological order, it's a bit disorienting, but her debut novel was an ok read, this sophomore effort a bit better and Dismantled was significantly better, which, of course, leaves a reader excited to watch this author's progress and looking forward to new books. McMahon has a schtick that works for her and her books are all a variation of the tightly knit circle of fr...more

1 like · like · see review

Jun 07, 2012 Shaylan rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

This book is a bit hard to rate. Parts of it were good, parts were... not so good. The description led me to believe that there would be some sort of strong tie-in between two separate disappearances, but it hardly even got into one of them. I was certain of at least part of the conclusion from nearly the beginning, though a part of it surprised me. Two of three twists/surprises I had figured out from a few chapters in. The last left me feeling meh. And I did have a major problem with part of th...more

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Feb 17, 2012 Lauren Hopkins rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm giving this four stars because while I don't really think it's "four star worthy" (you know, considering I gave Dostoevsky four stars for "House of the Dead" and this clearly can't touch that) I think it's about a thousand times better than her last book, which I gave three stars. I gave the last book three stars because while the writing was ATROCIOUS and the plot wasn't really seamless, I read it in about two hours because I couldn't put it down, just wanting to know how it ended...so ther...more I'm giving this four stars because while I don't really think it's "four star worthy" (you know, considering I gave Dostoevsky four stars for "House of the Dead" and this clearly can't touch that) I think it's about a thousand times better than her last book, which I gave three stars. I gave the last book three stars because while the writing was ATROCIOUS and the plot wasn't really seamless, I read it in about two hours because I couldn't put it down, just wanting to know how it ended...so there had to have been SOME redeeming qualities, otherwise I wouldn't have wasted my time with it. This book has that same "can't put it down" feeling, but it also flows much better and there's a better quality to the writing...it flows much more naturally, even if sometimes the metaphors can induce major eye rolls. Because her last book had a "last person you'd expect" kind of feel to it, I was able to guess one of the killers right off the bat, and so that "element of surprise" she shoots for was kind of a let down. She also hints at a great deal and not very subtly, so I feel if you're unable to pick it up by at least the midway point of the book, you should probably check your reading comprehension skills? But obviously you won't guess every little detail because some are kind of out of the blue, so that's what keeps you reading...wanting to see everything she brings up tied into a neat little package and seeing how she manages to do this. That being said, I think everything comes together a little TOO perfectly...all secrets the main character, Rhonda, had been hunting for throughout the book are revealed in the final twenty or so pages with nary a struggle. For thirteen years her childhood friends kept secrets and then suddenly, despite guarding these secrets with their lives only days prior, everything comes spilling out without a care in the world in a matter of minutes. But I don't think most people who read these sorts of books pay attention to these little nuances. If you're looking for a well-written page-turner that can be devoured in a couple of hours, this is a great way to appease your cravings.(less)

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Jan 13, 2012 Erin rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read another book by McMahon, 'Promise Not to Tell' and from what I remember, as it was quite some years ago, I enjoyed it. So I thought I would give this one a try too. I wish I hadn't.

Rhonda is sitting at a gas station, waiting for her car to fill up, when she sees a 6' tall, white rabbit abduct a little girl from the back of a car. She doesn't realize what really happened in front of her until it is too late. Now ridden with guilt, she dedicates her time to helping find this little girl, al...more I read another book by McMahon, 'Promise Not to Tell' and from what I remember, as it was quite some years ago, I enjoyed it. So I thought I would give this one a try too. I wish I hadn't.

Rhonda is sitting at a gas station, waiting for her car to fill up, when she sees a 6' tall, white rabbit abduct a little girl from the back of a car. She doesn't realize what really happened in front of her until it is too late. Now ridden with guilt, she dedicates her time to helping find this little girl, all while remembering her childhood.

The story goes back and forth between the present, 2006, where Rhonda witnesses an abduction to 1993, when she recalls a difficult time in her childhood. It also throws in some scenes from the rabbits point of view.

There were several things wrong with this book. First, the main character, Rhonda, is annoying. She is so naive and blind to reality that I couldn't connect with her at all. I got frustrated on so many occasions because of her ignorance. The rest of the characters weren't interesting either.

Second, the main story, the kidnapping, was pushed into the background a lot by the 'back story'. I actually enjoyed the back story more. It was more interesting and I liked the younger versions of the characters much more than their adult versions.

The writing was bad, too. McMahon switched from first person to third person randomly in the middle of the story. No reason for it at all. Maybe she just forgot? The way the story is laid out is confusing too. Trying to remember who is who is really hard to do, especially in the beginning. Other things didn't add up either, I won't go into details so I don't spoil it for those who may want to read the book, but I was angry and confused at several parts of the plot. Not to mention there was no real climax. The mysteries were all wrapped up quickly in the simplest way possible, someone just confessed.

And if I never hear the word rabbit again, I will die happy. It was so redundant!

The only positive thing I can say about this book is that it does bring you into it. I was reading, all while annoyed, and when I looked down I was 100 pages in. Oh, and there are small periods of suspense.

In the end, I found myself scanning through most of it just to find out if I had the myseteries solved, which, for the most part, I did.

It's not worth the time, in my opinion.(less)

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Dec 30, 2011 Liz rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Jennifer McMahon has a way of revealing the horrors of human kind through mystical, fantastical stories. Often the reader is wrapped in a fusion of reality and fiction, trying to sort out the mystery she presents. Which is the best explanation, the magical or the sensible?

Island of Lost Girls leads us down such a rabbit hole. Rhonda witnesses a horrible, human crime-the kidnapping of a little girl. But it is not just any kidnapping-the kidnapper is dressed as a white, Easter rabbit. Rhonda spen...more

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Dec 27, 2011 Danna rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: speed-read, tragic, missing-children, mystery

The Island of Lost Girls takes place in a small community where two girls have gone missing, but more than twenty years apart. The story is told from Rhonda's perspective. Rhonda was best friends with Lizzy, who disappeared when they were children, and then happened to be present when Ernestine was kidnapped in present-day. She cannot help but link the two in her mind, being greatly disturbed by both events.

Ernestine was kidnapped from the local service station by a person dressed in a rabbit co...more

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Mar 11, 2013 Erin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was told to check out Jennifer McMahon after telling everyone I know how much I love Gillian Flynn. I'll admit -- it was a good recommendation. I enjoyed almost everything about Island of Lost Girls, from its offbeat premise (the central crime surrounds a child kidnapped in broad daylight by a giant stuffed bunny) to its haunting cover art.

The characters are strong and McMahon is skilled at letting the readers learn about them slowly and organically throughout the story. I especially liked on...more

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Apr 13, 2009 Terry rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

The best thing about this book is that the protagonist slowly learns that she has deliberately been kept out of the loop of family secrets; that she thinks she understands everything, but it turns out, through her own insensitivity and narrow-mindedness, she let down her best friend, and thus her family and friends exclude her from the truth. So the story is not just about the unraveling of a mystery, but the slow burn of learning that you are not as loved and trusted as you thought you should b...more

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Oct 04, 2012 Lauren rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Island of Lost Girls is about a girl that is kidnapped by someone dressed as a rabbit. Rhonda has just come home from college and is reuniting with her first love Peter. Everything goes horribly wrong when Rhonda witnesses the kidnapping. Throughout the book, Rhonda does everything she can to help find the little girl.

Island of Lost Girls is the 5th book I've read by Jennifer McMahon. It is definitely one of my favorites. The book, like all of Jennifer's books, switches from past to present. Oth...more

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Apr 07, 2012 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Wow! This read was amazing! I was kind of surprised at some of the negative reviews because I loved every page and finished it in just a few hours.
The story starts out in 2006. Rhonda is sitting at the only gas station in her little town filling up before heading to a job interview, when someone pulls into the station in a bunny costume and takes a little girl. Yes, I said a bunny costume. Weird, I know but as the story takes you back to 1993 you will understand. I really enjoyed trying to figu...more

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Feb 25, 2012 Ariel Uppstrom rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Every once and a while, I like to read a book about seriously messed up social issues. This one discussed kidnapping, abuse, and murder. Nice mix. The story is basically a combination of 2 stories. The overarching one is that a young girl was kidnapped by a person in a Easter Bunny costume and the small town is trying to solve that crime. The underlying story is of the main character's childhood and the disappearance of her best friend. As the story progresses, you are caught up in the possible...more

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Mar 02, 2011 Monica rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A decent literary mystery, albeit a bit predictable; I suppose that can't be helped if one is paying attention. The fact that the little girl was kidnapped by someone in a rabbit costume (in broad daylight) was intriguing at first. However, I did not care for the italicized passages told from the rabbit's point of view. I found them to be melodramtic and increasinly ridiculous as the novel progressed. The same can be said for the main story. It was interesting enough at first, but as the novel w...more

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Mar 25, 2012 Megan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-read-and-re-read, mystery-suspense-crime, ebook

A very odd begining sets up a story full of secrets and tragedy : Rhonda pulls into a gas station and witnesses a 6 ft rabbit leading a young girl from another car into a gold VW bug. Faced with the fact that she was too stunned to intercede, she is bound and determined to find the young girl and the sight of the rabbit brings back memories of another lost girl from her own childhood.

McMahon likes to weave past with present and it's something she does very well. I enjoyed the book and she caught...more

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Feb 05, 2012 Tiffany rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was so happy to see this book for a good price to download onto my Kindle. I had read Jennifer McMahon's "Promise Not to Tell" last year and I was very intrigued by her sense of storytelling. This one is similar in regards to a mystery surrounding disapperances and told through present day narration as well as flashback.

The story centers on Rhonda who as a recent college grad has come back home and witnesses a girl kidnapped by a large bunny. Such a ridiculous story prompts people to suspect t...more

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About Jennifer McMahon

I'm the author of Promise Not to Tell, Island of Lost Girls, Dismantled, and Don't Breathe a Word. My latest novel, The One I Left Behind was released January 2013. I live in central Vermont with my partner and daughter, in an old Victorian that some neighbors call The Addams Family house.

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