Review: Good Bad Girl

Good Bad Girl by Alice Feeney
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A Write to Review

Note: I received an advanced copy of this audiobook from Macmillan Audio via NetGalley.

In this gripping tale, a disturbing connection emerges between a decades-old crime and a recent murder in a care home. The narrative unfolds twenty years after a baby was abducted from a stroller, when an elderly woman named Edith finds herself confined to a nursing home, albeit with plans to escape. Within this facility, Patience works tirelessly, forming a unique bond with Edith, despite harboring numerous secrets.

Patience, however, isn't forthcoming with the truth, even as she forges a connection with Edith, who is grappling with her own estranged daughter, Clio. Meanwhile, a new, ominous presence is about to intrude upon Clio's life, and their intentions appear far from benevolent.

With mutual distrust simmering between the characters, these women are thrust into a perplexing mystery that involves three suspects, two murders, and one victim. As they navigate the treacherous waters of their shared predicament, they must untangle the enigma surrounding the vanished baby, the grief-stricken mother, and the intricate connections that bind them all together.

I typically haven't been one to embrace the world of audiobooks; something about them just never quite clicked with me, often leading to irritation with the narrator's voice. Nevertheless, I've made several attempts over the years to bridge the gap, and I find myself doing so once more. In this particular case, I must admit that the narrator proved to be an exception—clear in articulation and less annoying than some of my previous encounters.

However, my struggle with this audiobook primarily stemmed from its plot, which felt like a tangled web of confusion throughout. While the storyline remained somewhat decipherable, the intricate interconnections among its elements left my head spinning. It seemed that the author didn't provide a clear and tactful roadmap for readers to navigate this narrative landscape. While I wouldn't categorize the overall story as unpleasant, it leaned more toward the uneventful and, at times, bordered on the mundane.

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