≫ Download BlackEyed Susans A Novel of Suspense Julia Heaberlin 9780804177993 Books

BlackEyed Susans A Novel of Suspense Julia Heaberlin 9780804177993 Books

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BlackEyed Susans A Novel of Suspense Julia Heaberlin 9780804177993 Books

At the age of 16, Tessie was found near dead and dumped in a field of black eyed susans with a number of bones. She is the only survivor of a serial killer. Told in alternating timelines by 16 year old Tessie who is dealing with her recovery from her traumatic experience, and 32 year old Tessa, worried that the man convicted and on death row for the crimes isn’t actually guilty after all. The reason she thinks he isn’t guilty? She can’t remember anything from her experience and she continually comes home to black eyed susans planted in her yard, no matter where she lives. Is killer is still taunting her…?

I really enjoyed Black-Eyed Susans, and there were definitely parts that felt really creepy. There were also parts that felt like more of a mystery than a thriller. The present day Tessa spends her time working with forensics expert Jo and lawyer Bill, examining old evidence to exonerate the man currently on death row. I did like the characters in the book. though Tessa was challenging sometimes because of how many unaddressed issues she still had. She can still hear the other victims (or “susans” as she calls them) talking to her in her head, so clearly she has some unresolved problems.

I went to school and have my degree in Forensic Anthropology, so I loved that aspect of the story – I geeked out over the science a little bit. Ha! I’m sure not every reader enjoyed that as much as I did, but I really liked Jo’s character.

While I enjoyed the ending, I do have some mixed feelings. I felt like it was rushed. It was really the last 10% of the book where things started getting revealed and resolved, and I felt like there could have been more time spend there, since there was a huge reveal in the end. I felt like I was left wanting more.

There was some romance between Tessa and Bill, which I didn’t love. I felt like it wasn’t necessary to the story and did nothing for the overall story line. Then Tessa’s daughter’s father comes back in the picture and there’s sort of this weird little love triangle, which did nothing for me. I didn’t like that the father came back in the story at all, because I feel like he was eventually forgotten about later in the story and wasn’t talked about again, so it felt random to me.

Overall, I really enjoyed the writing style and was engaged in the story from the very beginning. I’m excited to read more from Heaberlin! I’d recommend Black-Eyed Susans if you’re looking for something that isn’t chocked full of twists and turns at every page and that is more of a slow burning mystery with an action packed ending.


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BlackEyed Susans A Novel of Suspense Julia Heaberlin 9780804177993 Books Reviews

I love writing reviews about books but for this one, I didn't. Because to me it's not about what I see the ending being but what the author did. She saw something I didn't. I didn't really like the ending the author gave this book. I don't think it made much sense and it left me disappointed. But again, its not about me or my vision. I just feel it could have ended better. and except for the ending, I really liked the book. I did however find the disappearance of Lydia weird and abrupt even though we were talking about the past, there was no mention of why, what or where. I realized at the end the reason for that but it seemed to me, that if my very best friend moved away, I would have stayed in touch and at the very least wondered where she was if she didn't communicate back. But I regress, I saw where the author wanted us to go.
This book is being favorably compared to Gillian Flynn's "Gone Girl", and rightfully so, and also to books by Laura Lippman. But I feel "Black-Eyed Susans" (BES) is much better than anything I've read by Lippman. Both GG and BES have well-done and very interesting alternating chapters but I give higher marks to Flynn for her prose, and to Heaberlin for tension and that "don't want to put it down" quality. GG has a better climax and twist but BES has a race against the clock with a man's life at stake.

The BES story line is somewhat novel for crime fiction though it seems to appear fairly regularly on TV and at the movies. A Texas execution for a crime committed several years ago is to take place soon. What is different about BES is that the reader is not sure of the convict's guilt or innocence until the very last moments. The protagonist Tessa survived, however she was found in a field of black-eyed susans along with the remains of other girls not so fortunate. Tessa has memory issues and was unable to identify the killer at trial. Patrick Anderson in the Washington Post last week exhorted his readers "don't miss it!" and I strongly recommend the same. I will read Heaberlin's next and likely at least one of her two previous books.
I had high hopes for this book because I Enjoyed Heaberlin's previous mysteries. And this one has many well written descriptions, poetic passages, and interesting details. It is rather slow, but atmospheric. But to me it's very flawed in that nothing seems explained. Please stop reading now if you haven't already read the book, because I'm going to give away a lot in seeking answers from anyone who wants to comment and can explain what I could not understand. WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD! What exactly happened to Tessie? Did she see the man who abducted her and if not, why not? Why does she have so many scars? Why did she need a pacemaker? How could he have possibly not fallen under suspicion when he put himself forward to treat her? How does a college professor have time to also work full time as a therapist and how did he get these jobs in highly competitive fields while moving constantly all over the country? Why did Lydia hate Tessie so much she would spend most of her life tormenting her secretly? And finally, why end the book with nothing resolved? We never learn if the killer was killed or not, but since his body isn't recovered it seems he wasn't. So here's what we have a psychopathic liar claims someone committed a series of murders but there's no real proof he did, she claims to have killed him, but there's no proof of that, yet this is the conclusion of the mystery? Unless Heaberlin plans a sequel this made no sense to me. And one final negative comment. I have lived near Fort Worth and know many people there. No one can endure that heat, staying in the sun day after day as Tessa does and not fall ill. I get that she feels cold due to her fears, but she'd die of heatstroke if she lived as described in that weather.
At the age of 16, Tessie was found near dead and dumped in a field of black eyed susans with a number of bones. She is the only survivor of a serial killer. Told in alternating timelines by 16 year old Tessie who is dealing with her recovery from her traumatic experience, and 32 year old Tessa, worried that the man convicted and on death row for the crimes isn’t actually guilty after all. The reason she thinks he isn’t guilty? She can’t remember anything from her experience and she continually comes home to black eyed susans planted in her yard, no matter where she lives. Is killer is still taunting her…?

I really enjoyed Black-Eyed Susans, and there were definitely parts that felt really creepy. There were also parts that felt like more of a mystery than a thriller. The present day Tessa spends her time working with forensics expert Jo and lawyer Bill, examining old evidence to exonerate the man currently on death row. I did like the characters in the book. though Tessa was challenging sometimes because of how many unaddressed issues she still had. She can still hear the other victims (or “susans” as she calls them) talking to her in her head, so clearly she has some unresolved problems.

I went to school and have my degree in Forensic Anthropology, so I loved that aspect of the story – I geeked out over the science a little bit. Ha! I’m sure not every reader enjoyed that as much as I did, but I really liked Jo’s character.

While I enjoyed the ending, I do have some mixed feelings. I felt like it was rushed. It was really the last 10% of the book where things started getting revealed and resolved, and I felt like there could have been more time spend there, since there was a huge reveal in the end. I felt like I was left wanting more.

There was some romance between Tessa and Bill, which I didn’t love. I felt like it wasn’t necessary to the story and did nothing for the overall story line. Then Tessa’s daughter’s father comes back in the picture and there’s sort of this weird little love triangle, which did nothing for me. I didn’t like that the father came back in the story at all, because I feel like he was eventually forgotten about later in the story and wasn’t talked about again, so it felt random to me.

Overall, I really enjoyed the writing style and was engaged in the story from the very beginning. I’m excited to read more from Heaberlin! I’d recommend Black-Eyed Susans if you’re looking for something that isn’t chocked full of twists and turns at every page and that is more of a slow burning mystery with an action packed ending.