Review By Veronica

Good Half Gone is another creepy and heart-pounding thriller by Tarryn Fisher.

Favourite Quote:

 “911, WHAT IS your emergency?”

“Hello? Help me, please! They took my sister! Please hurry, I don’t know where they are. I can’t find them.” *rustling noise* *yells something* “Oh my god—oh my god. Piper!”

“Ma’am, I need you to calm down so that I can understand you.”

“Okay…” *crying*

“Who took your sister?”

“I don’t know! I don’t know them. Two guys. Dupont knows them, I—”

“Miss, what is the address? Where are you?”

“The theater on Pike, the Five Dollar…” *crying* “They took my phone, I’m calling from inside the theater.”

Goodreads Synopsis: 

Iris Walsh saw her twin sister, Piper, get kidnapped—so why does no one believe her?

Iris narrowly escaped her pretty, popular twin sister’s fate as a teen: kidnapped, trafficked and long gone before the cops agreed to investigate. With no evidence to go on but a few scattered memories, the case quickly goes cold.

Now an adult, Iris wants one thing—proof. And if the police still won’t help, she’ll just have to find it her own way; by interning at the isolated Shoal Island Hospital for the criminally insane, where secrets lurk in the shadows and are kept under lock and key. But Iris soon realizes that something even more sinister is simmering beneath the surface of the Shoal, and that the patients aren’t the only ones being observed…

I am a huge fan of Tarryn’s books. She always manages to create addictive thrillers I can’t put down. Good Half Gone did not disappoint me. It was so interesting and brought out these big emotions in me, which is a sign of a great book, in my opinion. This book is a darker suspense thriller that is only told from Iris’s POV. It is a dual timeline book set in the present and the past. The past timeline takes place before and after Piper’s kidnapping, and the present timeline follows Iris as she starts working at Shoal Island Hospital. I loved how this book was structured; it’s very similar to Tarryn’s other book, An Honest Lie. What I love about the dual timeline structure is that you get two heart-pounding situations unfolding simultaneously. And if it’s done right, like it is in this book, the two timelines will complement each other. 

The events that took place on the past timeline were what brought out those big emotions in me. I could just feel Iris’s anger and frustration with the police and their unwillingness to believe that Piper had been kidnapped. Iris’s sense of helplessness felt so real and hit me right in my heart. As events unfold after the kidnapping and you begin to realize that these men and boys are going to potentially get away with what they have done, I couldn’t help but feel this rage build inside me. I just wanted to unleash vigilante-style justice on their asses. As much as these events were frustrating the hell out of me, Tarryn did a great job at shedding light on gaps and problems in our justice system. She did a great job at creating this very complex kidnapping scenario. The past timeline really gives off those vibes like you are watching one of those serial killer/ kidnapping documentaries, which I absolutely love. 

The present timeline is where you get those spine-tingling creepy feelings. The setting for this timeline is really creepy perfection. Shoal Island Hospital is on this isolated island and in this older building that just gives off unsettling vibes. In my mind, I visualized the hospital looking and feeling like the hospital in the Shutter Island movie. This hospital cares for the criminally insane. Iris has decided to work on this island for a reason, and that reason is connected to her sister’s disappearance. I won’t go into specific details because I don’t want to give anything away. When you read this timeline, two things really stood out for me, one is that Iris is being watched or stalked by some unknown person. It gives you the chills. And the other is that you begin to realize that there is more to Piper’s disappearance than you originally thought. This story is just so well thought out and complex. I loved everything about it. The climax at the head had me holding my breath and at the edge of my seat. It really was a solid thriller from beginning to end. 

Good Half Gone is a gripping and chilling thriller that you will not be able to put down. 

Thank you, HarperCollins Canada, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.