Augusta (Gus) Monet lost her father before she was born and lost her mother at the age of eight. Both were cops who died on the job. After graduating from the boarding school she was sent to and lived in until she was eighteen, she drifts through life with the first man she met after leaving the school, a grifter who teaches her the ways of the street. The two live in motels and make money as con artists. Gus is torn between guilt for the way she has been living and anger at her mother for leaving her all alone, but she stays because following Lars seems easier than trying to make it on her own. That is, until she receives a phone call one night informing her that her last living relative, her great grandmother, died and left her everything. This gives Gus the push she needs to leave Lars and set out on her own.
When she arrives at her great grandmother’s house, she finds her old toy box. Feeling nostalgic, she goes through her old toys and pictures and finds among them evidence her mother hid there from the case she had been working before she died. Gus digs deep into the case and follows her mother’s clues to understand what exactly happened the night her mother died.
I love a mystery! Although the twists in this one were not incredibly surprising, the story is gripping and emotional. The mix of love and anger Gus has toward her mother is perfectly written. She was only eight when she lost her mother, and she remembers how distracted her mother was with this case. It hurt her then, and the pain never went away. She felt abandoned even before her mother died, but as she follows in her mother’s footsteps, she begins to understand her more than she ever thought she would. Gus finally feels close to her mother and realizes just how alike they are. She’s determined to finish what her mother started.
I really enjoyed this one and would recommend it to anyone who also loves a good mystery.
For All Story Lovers! 