Review: The Elephant Girl - Henriette Gyland

Peek-a-boo I see you…

When five-year-old Helen Stephens witnesses her mother’s murder, her whole world comes crumbling down. Rejected by her extended family, Helen is handed over to child services and learns to trust no-one but herself. Twenty years later, her mother’s killer is let out of jail, and Helen swears vengeance.

Jason Moody runs a halfway house, desperate to distance himself from his father’s gangster dealings. But when Helen shows up on his doorstep, he decides to dig into her past, and risks upsetting some very dangerous people.

As Helen begins to question what really happened to her mother, Jason is determined to protect her. But Helen is getting too close to someone who’ll stop at nothing to keep the truth hidden...

My thoughts:

This book is about one angry young woman, and she has every right to be angry. Her mother was murdered right next to her. Her family did not take care of her after it, instead she was put into the system. And life growing up was not easy as she is epileptic and kids can be cruel. Not to mention that adults can be stupid.

That is our introduction to Helen. The book takes off when she comes back to England as her mum's killer has been let out of jail. Revenge and answers is what she wants. Her anger and resentment felt real. She was lost and she had never dealt with her grief. I liked her determination to find answers.

The blurb talks about a certain Jason, yes we all know these two will meet and fall in love then. But that takes time. Helen has her anger and wants the truth. Jason wants to escape from his father's shadow (as his dad is a crook.) Their "friendship" starts with lies and there is darkness over it all. But he is a good guy, I liked him and as Helen changes something grows.

But the book is more than that. There is the whole mystery part. What happened 20 years ago when her mother died? Was the killer really caught? There are many questions and she finds it piece by piece. And as the hunt continues it gets more dangerous.

Conclusion:

The book has friendship, romance, mystery and suspense. And real characters.

Cover

Simple, but still good

Romantic Fiction / Suspense
Paperback, 400 pages
Published July 7th 2013 by Choc Lit (first published June 11th 2013)
(It's out in ebook form in the US now, but in print first in August)
For review