[close]
[Little Deaths] by Emma Flint
2★'s
What's It About?
It's 1965 in a tight-knit working-class neighborhood in Queens, New York, and Ruth Malone--a single mother who works long hours as a cocktail waitress--wakes to discover her two small children, Frankie Jr. and Cindy, have gone missing. Later that day, Cindy's body is found in a derelict lot a half mile from her home, strangled. Ten days later, Frankie Jr.'s decomposing body is found. Immediately, all fingers point to Ruth.
As police investigate the murders, the detritus of Ruth's life is exposed. Seen through the eyes of the cops, the empty bourbon bottles and provocative clothing which litter her apartment, the piles of letters from countless men and Ruth's little black book of phone numbers, make her a drunk, a loose woman--and therefore a bad mother. The lead detective, a strict Catholic who believes women belong in the home, leaps to the obvious conclusion: facing divorce and a custody battle, Malone took her children's lives.
What Did I Think?
I always hate it when a book that I'm expecting more from just doesn't produce. I know it's not easy to write a book and get it published so I always feel that I should look for at least one redeeming factor. I just couldn't find it in this one. This very weak entry was plagued from the start by ridiculous characters and unfathomable dialog. If there was a plot it never did raise it's head. I kept waiting for the defendant to be charged but 3/4 of the book was finished before that happened. What were they waiting for? The trial was another disaster going somewhere to happen. This is this authors first novel so maybe they will improve with time. I'm just not sure I will take another chance.
