Official Review: Clementine's Shadow by Peggy Rothschild
-
latesummer
- Posts: 26
- Joined: 13 Jan 2013, 17:03
- Favorite Book: The Hunger Games
- Bookshelf Size: 6
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-latesummer.html
- Latest Review: "The Bonding" by Imogen Keeper
Official Review: Clementine's Shadow by Peggy Rothschild
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Clementine's Shadow" by Peggy Rothschild.]
As a reader, I’m always on the lookout for books that are written in the third person omniscient point-of-view because this p.o.v. allows you to access the thoughts and ideas of most or all of the characters encountered in a book. This is the biggest reason I enjoyed Clementine’s Shadow by Peggy Rothschild from cover to cover. Rothschild develops her story to the fullest, but does it with a nice twist that I’ve not seen in a lot of books – she switches points-of-view every chapter.
Set in the desert town of Ardon, California, Clementine’s Shadow revolves around five character points-of-view to tell the story of a kidnapping in a town where no such crime has ever existed before. Deputy Casey Lang hasn’t been working on the force in Ardon, California long, but she’s the most experienced where kidnappings are involved from her long line of work in Los Angeles. Despite what the sheriff of Zanja Seca County seems to think, she is their best hope at finding the little girl who was kidnapped at the town’s night concert. However, she has a big problem with using her gun after accidentally shooting a child back in L.A. and she’s not so sure she can handle this kidnapping without overcoming her fears.
Winston is an overcoming alcoholic who counts every mess-up he’s ever made. He’s very meticulous down to the point of counting the minutes since the last time he had a drink. Winston’s only thing to continue living for is Brittany, also known as “Tiny” – his six year old daughter. His only chance to spend time with his daughter is when Brittany’s mother, Clarabelle, wants to pretend she isn’t a mother. In this case, he’s looking forward to spending time with Tiny at the nighttime concert. So, when Tiny goes mysteriously missing at the concert, it’s very understandable that Winston would run to the deputies on duty for help.
As a standard, Brady lives by pulling off pranks. So when he decides to pull off a detailed prank at the concert just as Winston’s daughter goes missing, he’s placed at the prime suspect for the kidnapping. However, would Brady actually kidnap his friend’s daughter? Winston doesn’t think so, but it might be possible. He is a constant bother to his multiple ex-wives and mostly everyone else in town after all.
Jane is still in high school, but she’s constantly getting in trouble over guys – not in the way you might think though. She often does physical harm to guys if they try to touch her at all. She seems to have a mysterious horrible past that she can’t move on from. So, when she hears about a girl being kidnapped at the concert, she decides to take action. She doesn’t want the little girl to share the same fate as her. The question is: what sort of fate will she serve herself by getting involved in this dangerous situation?
As the mystery character of the book, the final person whose point-of-view is observed seems to be demented and difficult to follow. He/she makes moves that seem to have nothing to do with the book at all, but will eventually correlate with everything.
As I read this book, the different points-of-view didn’t seem to correlate very much in the beginning. In fact, I was a little confused as to what each of the Ardon citizens had to do with each other. However, as the book progressed, I quickly learned how they would all have a chance meeting at the concert in the park and how they each play a part in the search for Tiny. Rothschild has weaved a very creative mystery. Suspenseful throughout, it’ll have you hanging on and not wanting to put the book down! And it has an ending you’ll never expect.
This is a book that I’d recommend to everyone from ages 13 and up. It does contain some graphic language that I would not recommend to younger children. I hope that everyone who reads it will enjoy this stand-alone novel as much as I did. Having found nothing to complain about in this book, I give it a four-out-of-four-star rating.
***
Buy "Clementine's Shadow" on Amazon
As a reader, I’m always on the lookout for books that are written in the third person omniscient point-of-view because this p.o.v. allows you to access the thoughts and ideas of most or all of the characters encountered in a book. This is the biggest reason I enjoyed Clementine’s Shadow by Peggy Rothschild from cover to cover. Rothschild develops her story to the fullest, but does it with a nice twist that I’ve not seen in a lot of books – she switches points-of-view every chapter.
Set in the desert town of Ardon, California, Clementine’s Shadow revolves around five character points-of-view to tell the story of a kidnapping in a town where no such crime has ever existed before. Deputy Casey Lang hasn’t been working on the force in Ardon, California long, but she’s the most experienced where kidnappings are involved from her long line of work in Los Angeles. Despite what the sheriff of Zanja Seca County seems to think, she is their best hope at finding the little girl who was kidnapped at the town’s night concert. However, she has a big problem with using her gun after accidentally shooting a child back in L.A. and she’s not so sure she can handle this kidnapping without overcoming her fears.
Winston is an overcoming alcoholic who counts every mess-up he’s ever made. He’s very meticulous down to the point of counting the minutes since the last time he had a drink. Winston’s only thing to continue living for is Brittany, also known as “Tiny” – his six year old daughter. His only chance to spend time with his daughter is when Brittany’s mother, Clarabelle, wants to pretend she isn’t a mother. In this case, he’s looking forward to spending time with Tiny at the nighttime concert. So, when Tiny goes mysteriously missing at the concert, it’s very understandable that Winston would run to the deputies on duty for help.
As a standard, Brady lives by pulling off pranks. So when he decides to pull off a detailed prank at the concert just as Winston’s daughter goes missing, he’s placed at the prime suspect for the kidnapping. However, would Brady actually kidnap his friend’s daughter? Winston doesn’t think so, but it might be possible. He is a constant bother to his multiple ex-wives and mostly everyone else in town after all.
Jane is still in high school, but she’s constantly getting in trouble over guys – not in the way you might think though. She often does physical harm to guys if they try to touch her at all. She seems to have a mysterious horrible past that she can’t move on from. So, when she hears about a girl being kidnapped at the concert, she decides to take action. She doesn’t want the little girl to share the same fate as her. The question is: what sort of fate will she serve herself by getting involved in this dangerous situation?
As the mystery character of the book, the final person whose point-of-view is observed seems to be demented and difficult to follow. He/she makes moves that seem to have nothing to do with the book at all, but will eventually correlate with everything.
As I read this book, the different points-of-view didn’t seem to correlate very much in the beginning. In fact, I was a little confused as to what each of the Ardon citizens had to do with each other. However, as the book progressed, I quickly learned how they would all have a chance meeting at the concert in the park and how they each play a part in the search for Tiny. Rothschild has weaved a very creative mystery. Suspenseful throughout, it’ll have you hanging on and not wanting to put the book down! And it has an ending you’ll never expect.
This is a book that I’d recommend to everyone from ages 13 and up. It does contain some graphic language that I would not recommend to younger children. I hope that everyone who reads it will enjoy this stand-alone novel as much as I did. Having found nothing to complain about in this book, I give it a four-out-of-four-star rating.
***
Buy "Clementine's Shadow" on Amazon
Latest Review: "The Bonding" by Imogen Keeper
