In 1983, a woman and two children were found in a couple barrels in a forest in New Mexico. Thirty years later, the case is cold but that doesn’t stop two women who are determined to solve the mystery of who the woman and children are and how they ended up in those barrels. Librarian and genealogist Laura MacDonald starts her investigation merely as a distraction from her fight against breast cancer but ends up desperate to put a name to the Jane Doe in the barrel and learn everything she can about her. Jean Martinez is a veteran detective determined to solve the oldest cold case in the county. When these two women find each other and work together, the pieces of the woman and two children begin to fall into place.
Told from three different narrators – Laura, Jean, and the ghost of the Jane Doe – this is an incredibly poignant story of grief and loss, but also one of hope and appreciation for life. Each woman brings a unique emotional take to a similar situation which is feeling trapped. Laura feels trapped in a body that is failing her. Jean feels trapped in a marriage that doesn’t fit her needs. Jane Doe felt trapped in life by a predatory man controlling her every move and trapped in death by the misplaced guilt she feels for not protecting her girls (which only shows she is still trapped in his manipulation cycle even in death). Still, each woman finds her own reason to keep going, to not give up, and to appreciate what they have while they still have it. This investigation gives them each a renewed thankfulness for what lies ahead of them.
As someone who went through a major true crime phase, this story didn’t even feel like fiction. The story of Jane Doe is one that is shared by so many women who were taken from this world too soon by selfish, entitled men with a hair-trigger temper. And even Laura and Jean felt vividly real and relatable – especially Laura for me as her sections squeezed my heart and made me realize I need to be more appreciative of the life I live since you never know when it could be jeopardized. As much pain and fear as there is in this story, there is just as much if not more hope. These women are determined to make the best of their situations. No matter how bleak those situations may be, they find the light or make it themselves.
For All Story Lovers! 