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The Girl of Sugar Beach is the most watched documentary in television history–a riveting, true-life mystery that unfolds over twelve weeks and centers on a fascinating question: Did Grace Sebold murder her boyfriend, Julian, while on a Spring Break vacation, or is she a victim of circumstance and poor police work? Grace has spent the last ten years in a St. Lucian prison, and reaches out to filmmaker Sidney Ryan in a last, desperate attempt to prove her innocence.
As Sidney begins researching, she uncovers startling evidence overlooked during the original investigation. Before the series even finishes filming, public outcry leads officials to reopen the case.
Delving into Grace’s past, Sidney peels away layer after layer of deception. But as she edges closer to the real heart of the story, Sidney must decide if finding the truth is worth risking her newfound fame, her career … even her life.
I admit that one of my side interests besides reading is listening to murder podcasts and watching true crime documentaries-yes, I’m a murderino! However I’m not alone in that the success of documentaries like ‘Making a Murderer’ and ‘The Staircase’ are indicative of the rising popularity of the genre in the US. So the premise of this book sucked me in and I was hooked once I started to read it!
Sidney Ryan is a documentary filmmaker who has taken an interest in cases where innocent people may have been convicted of murders they did not commit. While it’s not explained until later in the book, there is a family history which is one of the factors in her choice of career. For her new series she has decided to feature the case of Grace Sebold, an American medical student convicted of murdering her fiance while on vacation in St. Lucia. As it turns out they had been classmates in college and while they weren’t close friends, that shared background is one of the reasons behind her selection of Grace’s case.
The novel weaves back and forth between Sidney’s investigation in the present and scenes from the past, along with a mysterious third narrative that is not explained until later on in the book. Is this the killer or someone else with hidden knowledge of the case? You will be kept guessing until close to the end; I will admit that I had a suspicion as to the identity of the killer at one point but the deftness with which the author teases out the story had me convinced I was wrong. The twists and turns this story takes held my interest until the very end!
The shocking twist close to the end was completely unexpected and I will say that I did NOT like the ending but that is not a bad thing but rather the fact that I wanted more of the story. This is definitely one book that calls for a sequel and if Mr. Donlea ever chooses to write one, I will be jumping at the chance to see what happens next! I would recommend this book highly to other readers that enjoy suspense novels, you will not be disappointed!
I received this book in a giveaway by Kensington Publishing; no review was required and the opinions stated here are entirely my own.