Have you ever read a short description of a novel by an author you don’t recognize and you want to read it right away? I had that experience with In Search of the Rose Notes by Emily Arsenault. She’s considered a mystery writer but one Amazon reviewer said this book is, “at heart a psychological mystery” and another reviewer said it was a coming of age story more than a mystery. Here is Amazon’s description.
In Search of the Rose Notes, Arsenault validates her standing as an exhilarating new voice in contemporary fiction. A moody and engrossing mystery, In Search of the Rose Notes follows two best friends from childhood who once unsuccessfully investigated the disappearance of their teenage babysitter, and now, in their twenties, attempt once again to uncover the truth. Readers who love the literary, female focused mysteries of Laura Lippman, Tana French, and Jennifer McMahon will be thrilled to add Emily Arsenault to their must-read lists.
What hooked me was the last line in the first paragraph on the back cover: “Eleven-year-olds Nora and Charlotte were best friends. When their teenage babysitter, Rose, disappeared under mysterious circumstances, the girls decided to “investigate.” But their search–aided by paranormal theories and techniques gleaned from old Time-Life books–went nowhere.”
Does it hook you too?
“Emily Arsenault’s mysteries are so much fun you hardly notice they’re essentially academic novels.”
– New York Times Book Review
“In Search of the Rose Notes” feels like a beautifully written secret, whispered into the reader’s ear about the lives of two former best friends now tied together only by a mystery. This is a smart, creative and utterly charming novel.“
– Alafair Burke, author of Long Gone and Angel’s Tip
“An enthralling, extremely well-written novel . . . a definite stay-up-all-nighter. I couldn’t rest until I found out what had happened to Rose. “
– Meg Cabot, author of Abandon and Overbite
