Trigger warnings for Leave the Girls Behind include: kidnapping, sick animal, assault, mentions grooming, child death and controlling relationships.
☆
☆
As with most thrillers, I was following the story, right up until the end of the book where there was a big twist and I stopped understanding what has actually happened.
~
I really liked this book, it was an enjoyable read. The characters were likeable and well written, and the plot was interesting.
~
This wasn't the type of book I'd read twice, but I'd definitely give the author a try again if I came across another of her novels.
•
Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an ARC copy of this book.

Another superbly executed thriller from Jacqueline Bublitz - narrated impeccably on audiobook to draw you in and send a few shockwave reveals. Leave the Girls Behind follows unreliable le narrator Ruth Ann, whose childhood friend was murdered 19 years previously, leaving her distressed, obsessed with true crime murders and haunted by the past. Following another case of a murdered child, Ruth Ann once again becomes fixated. Amateur sleuth style , she tracks down four women and questions them, bringing her into a tangled web and closer to the truth. #leavethegirlsbehind #jacquelinebublitz #netgalley

4.5 stars.

Nineteen years ago, Ruth-Ann Baker's childhood friend was murdered by convicted killer Ethan Oswald. Haunted by what happened, Ruth has long been convinced Oswald had other victims. But no one has ever believed her. Upon hearing that another young girl has gone missing from her home town, with Oswald now deceased, she begins to suspect he had an accomplice. A partner in crime who is still active today.

I read this during a holiday trip, and oh my... I was so hooked I finished it in a day! Ruth was an intriguing character. I watched her really closely, especially in the beginning, because I couldn’t figure out how trustworthy she was. This was such a clever way to write a (possibly) unreliable, but likeable, main character.

I loved the social commentaries in this one. I loved that all the characters were kind of ‘grey’ (bar one, who was intentionally written by Jacqueline to be just a nice person in the story…). They were all three dimensional and had their own complex reasonings for the decisions they made in the past.

There were some phrases that stood out for me, such as when Ruth said she liked that “he’s not only interesting, but also interested”. And when Ruth thought to herself it was too bad that custom declaration card didn’t have the option of “I haven’t figured it yet” as a travelling purpose.

I listened to the audiobook, and the narration was top notch. Given Ruth was travelling halfway across the world, there were multiple accents involved, and Stephanie Cannon nailed it!

I haven’t read Before You Knew My Name, but I’m going to now, especially in preparation of Jacqueline’s upcoming third book which she said should tie in her first two books together - oohh!

Leave the Girls Behind by Jacqueline Bublitz and narrated by Stephanie Cannon was an audiobook I really enjoyed and ended up listening to it all day which was great. it was full of twists and turns that made it an addictive audiobook. I loved it and Looking forward reading or listening to more by this author.

SYNOPSIS:

Ruth-Ann Baker is a college dropout, a bartender—and an amateur detective who just can’t stay away from true crime. Nineteen years ago, her childhood friend was murdered by suspected serial killer Ethan Oswald. Still tormented by the case, Ruth can’t help but think of the long-dead Oswald when another young girl goes missing from the same town. And when she uncovers startling new evidence that suggests Oswald did not act alone, she is determined to find his deadly partner in crime.

Embarking on a global investigation, Ruth becomes close to three very different women—one of whom might just hold the key to what happened to the missing girl. And her childhood friend, all those years ago.

I highly recommend this audiobook/book, The Narrator Stephanie Cannon was excellent.

I first requested this title as an ebook and I just couldn’t get into and chose not to give feedback as through family I know the author. So I requested the audio book. The narrator is good but once again the story went nowhere with me. I think Jacqueline had done such a fantastic job with her first book Before you knew my Name, I was expecting something equal or better and for me it fell short. Once again it is only my opinion and I wont share my opinion anywhere else but here.
I also dont think we have sold a single copy in the store where I work. I will mention it to customers as her new book but I won’t offer an opinion.

Leave The Girls Behind is the second novel by Australian/New Zealand author, Jacqueline Bublitz. The audio version is narrated by Stephanie Cannon. In May 1996, when Ruth-Ann Baker was seven years old, Beth Lovely, also seven and living a few strets over, was taken from a playground in her hometown of Hoben, Connecticut. Her body was found by Hoben PD’s K9 unit, buried in the woods, eleven days later. Thirty-one-year-old Hoben High School’s popular music teacher, Ethan Oswald was charged with her murder and died in prison in 2002.

Ruth-Ann’s parents took her to live in New York City, where she was often visited by Beth; Ruth-Ann stopped telling her therapists about this when they kept trying to cure her of it. The murder set her on a course to become a forensic profiler: could it help explain how to spot such a killer?

In May 2015, Ruth-Ann is working at Sweeney’s Bar when an Amber Alert hits her phone: seven-year-old Coco Wilson has been taken from her front yard in Hoben, Connecticut. It clearly can’t be Ethan, but there are so many similarities to Beth’s abduction, Ruth-Ann is itching to research it. But, after her episode five years earlier, she has promised not to get mixed up in missing girl cases.

Yet that evening, after work, there is Beth again, and soon enough, Rhea, Leila and Lori, the three girls who want Ruth-Ann to prove Ethan killed them, appear. Taking up their case, back in 2010, did not play out well: heresay from ghosts is not evidence. But Ruth-Ann’s eye for detail has them reviewing everything they know, and once again checking the “What Happened To Her” online community forum, where some new information has appeared.

Ruth manages to connect with a woman claiming to be one of Ethan’s victims, and learns things about his history that place him near enough to have murdered the three. When she posts a request for information about young women who knew Ethan Oswald around the time of the murder, discovers a bizarre links to serial killers that gives her the perfect cover for making direct inquiries. These take her to New Zealand and Norway, then back to New York City, and raise a bunch of questions.

Did Ethan have an accomplice? It begins to look like he managed to attract and charm teenaged enablers. Has someone taken over his role? Has she uncovered some sort of murder cult? Does this put her in danger? And will the police take any notice of what she has found?

Bublitz gives the reader a clever, twisty plot that explores, among other things, the hold a charismatic man can have over a needy woman, and the far-reaching effects of a child abduction. Parts of the story are told through the eyes of the seven-year-old girl who was taken and held, shackled in a locked room. There are mentions of the victim from Bublitz’s first novel, but no spoilers. Another enthralling read.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Wavesound Audio/ WF Howes

A thought provoking exploration of how patriarchal societies view the female partners of Serial killers and how we unpick the causes of psychopathy when we acknowledge that no man is an island.

I finished this book a couple of days ago and I have been sitting with my thoughts before sharing them. I really loved this authors first book , Before You Knew My Name, it was such an original and memorable read. Leave the Girls Behind is Bublitzs' second novel, perhaps my expectations were to high, and while there were elements that were intriguing , overall, this book just didn't work for me. I thought the premise was strong and the ideas were good but it just didn't come together and was a bit of a disjointed read for me. I can suspend reality for good fiction but the reason why the main character sees dead girls only somewhat made sense towards the mid point of the book, that's a long time to suspend reality. I also felt several times when reading/ listening that I had missed a chapter or section and had to go back and check, I hadn't. The cast of secondary characters were a little unbelievable more so than the dead characters and the plot was just a bit too uneven for me. I really wanted to love this book but overall I was disappointed.

The narration was good, no faults there.

2.5 stars

Somewhat hard to follow but I did like the novel perspective of crime. Characters all fairly unlikeable unfortunately and overall I think this impacted a lot on my enjoyment.

This was such a good listen.
Serial killers are always fascinating, but looking at those that lives were touched by them is an interesting one.
I felt for Ruth, trying to find the truth of what happened to her, and the other girls.
The dead girls. They added an extra element to the story.
Some great characters in here, and a storyline that kept me listening at every moment I could.

I found this title really challenging to get my head around. I understood the precise, appreciated the story and the message around the trauma that Ruth lives with, but in all honesty I struggled to follow the course of events and had to keep skipping back, and then this was going to be a really great review, right up until the end made me feel icky. I don’t really have much more to say. Every trigger warning applies.

Not everything is for everyone, you may love it!

I’m off to read lighter things for a while.

The narration by Stephanie cannon was excellent.

My thanks to Wavesound by W F Howes for this ELC via NetGalley.

Australian thrillers are really hitting the spot and this title is no exception. I listened to the Audi version and found the narration throughout enjoyable. This story is slightly different to most. It doesn’t follow the direct victim if a killer, but explores those whose lives may have touched the person. The killer, Oswald, is dead, but Ruth Ann, whose childhood friend was murdered, suspects he was responsible for other deaths and years on, she starts to investigate.

The story is packed with characters and I wasn’t really drawn to any of them, but that didn’t matter. It’s a twisty tale; I lost track a couple of times part way through as to who was who and what was going on, but after a quick rewind, picked up the narrative again. It has enough turns to keep your interest and overall, I enjoyed this story.

Leave the Girls Behind is an intriguing, thought provoking and twisty thriller. I was pulled in by the storyline, which followed an unusual trajectory and really hooked my interest.

Rather than following the well-worn paths of serial killers or their victims, the novel explores the perspectives of those on the periphery of the crime—individuals who may be unwittingly or deliberately complicit in the events that lead to them. The characters aren’t particularly endearing, but are layered and compelling. I had some difficulty following the initial threads of the story, but as I persisted I found myself immersed, as the pieces came together to a satisfying conclusion.

I was fortunate to enjoy this both as an ebook an audiobook and found each enjoyable. The production value was great, and the narrator navigated the broad cast of characters with aplomb. The Aussie and Kiwi accents sounded a bit variable at times, but overall the narration was highly engaging and enjoyable.

Thank you W.F Howes Ltd for a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.