Book Review: The Necklace

"The Necklace" by Matt Witten is a great thriller, inspired by true crime stories. It is a page-turner, but an emotional and disturbing book as well which is worth reading. The main character is Susan who lives in the small town of Glens Falls, New York, whose 7-year-old daughter Amy was brutally murdered 20 years ago. She is going to attend the execution of the person who was convicted of murdering her daughter. The author takes us back and forth from the present to the events that took place 20 years ago and allows us to get closer to Susan's loss, suffering, sadness, and depression. With her husband leaving her a year after their daughter's murder, and her job as a waitress at the diner, she was barely surviving. Her community gets together and sends her off on this trip 1500 miles away so that she can finally have closure. On this trip, she reaches new lows, a broken car, stolen money, no food, and no roof to sleep under, but her dedication and perseverance never leave her. With each new day, she is getting closer to the truth, and definitely not the one she was expecting. In the critical moment on the path, she meets some amazing characters, who offer their help when she needed it the most. Coming through at the end, even though late, justice was eventually served. Reading this book, there are a few thoughts we can take with us. Lives can be turned upside down in a blink of an eye. People we thought we knew, suddenly could become absolute strangers. We learn as long as we live. There can be a long way to the truth, but most of the time it comes out at the end. This is a great book and I recommend reading it.