Book Review: Ghost Flower by Michele Jaffe

Eve Brightman is tough. In and out of foster homes from a young age, she knows how to survive on next to nothing. When a glamorous pair of siblings approach her with a mysterious proposal involving a lot of money, she is torn. Her instinct warns her off- but then her boss tries to assault her and she loses her job. Suddenly $100,000 cash, even for a shady deal shrouded in secrecy, seems like a pretty appealing option.

Eve bears a startling resemblance to siblings Bain and Bridgette's cousin Aurora, who disappeared three years before. Now, with Aurora set to inherit a fortune on her eighteenth birthday, the pair want to get their hands on the money without having to wait the usual four years before a missing person is declared dead. And so begins a Pygmallion-style grooming process, where tough street urchin Eve is forced to learn which fork to use when, and to acquire an in-depth knowledge of the illustrious Silverton dynasty's entire family tree and history.

Once she has been introduced and accepted back into the family, the real test starts. When will she slip up? What are the twins really up to and why does she feel as though there is something she isn't being told? And what is the terrifying whispering that happens outside her room late at night?

I read Michele Jaffe's last book Rosebush and really enjoyed it so I was very excited to read her latest book, Ghost Flower.
Eve Brightman is desperate and can't say no when Bain and Bridgette off her $100,000 to impersonate their cousin who disappeared on the night that her best friend Elizabeth was found dead. The twins have it all planned out so Eve thinks that nothing can go wrong but she really has no idea what she is getting herself into. Eve looks exactly like Aurora and the Silverton family accept her return but Eve is soon in much deeper than she expected to be. Everyone seems to have their own secrets about Aurora and nobody will reveal what really happened on the night of her disappearance. Aurora and Elizabeth apparently left a party together so how did one girl end up dead and the other missing?
Eve is totally freaked out when she hears strange whisperings outside of her bedroom door at night and receives phone calls from Elizabeth; how can she be contacting her when she is dead and what is she trying to warn her about?
Michele Jaffe has written another superb mystery. I was completely drawn into the story and we see everything through Eve's eyes so we experience the twists and turns as she does. Jaffe creates suspense from the very beginning, will Eve get caught out, why is everyone hiding something, who killed Elizabeth and what will their reaction be to Aurora's return?
I highly recommend Michele Jaffe's books, just be prepared that you won't be able to put them down.

Dot Scribbles Rating 4/5

Many thanks to Atom for sending me a copy of this book to review, Ghost Flower is out now.

Rosebush Winner!!!

Names were put into a hat this morning and Mr S did the honours! The winner of Rosebush by Michele Jaffe is...

Vivienne

Congratulations! I shall email you to get your postal address! Thanks to everyone who entered!

Book Review: Rosebush by Michele Jaffe + Win a copy of the book!

Jane doesn't remember being hit by a car and left for dead. But as she's convalescing she realises that her friends stories and her memories of what happened that night aren't adding up.
Very soon the only thing she does know is that one of her friends was trying to kill her. One of them still is...

Firstly I would like to say that the cover for this book is brilliant, one of my favourite so far this year. What's inside isn't too bad either. Jane wakes up in hospital after being run over. She was found in a rosebush, the driver did not stop to help. Jane's memory is fuzzy to say the least, she remembers being at a party with her friends but no idea how she ended up in intensive care, unable to move her legs.
Jane has a lot of friends, her best friends being Kate and Langley, or the three musketeers as they like to call themselves. Both friends were there as was her boyfriend David but they all seem unable to shed any light on the matter. Jane then starts receiving creepy gifts at the hospital and phone calls from someone saying they will be coming to finish her off properly this time. The doctors and even her own mother don't believe her, putting it down to hallucinations caused by all the medications she is on. But Jane knows she's not hallucinating, she can't believe it but she knows that one of her friends tried to kill her and will be coming back to finish off the job.
Michele Jaffe has written a very clever thriller. That fact that Jane is so helpless in her hospital bed just makes the whole situation even more desperate. The story takes place over 5 days so the pace is pretty fast, with short chapters leaving you wanting more. There were several twists that I didn't see coming and the last few chapters had me holding my breath.
Rosebush is going to appeal to many young adult readers. I agree with Atom that there are not enough young adult thriller writers, I think that Michele Jaffe will be a leading light.

Many thanks to Atom for sending me a copy of this book to review.

I have a copy of this brilliant book to give away to any UK readers! All you need to do is leave me a comment with your email address. This competition will remain open until Midnight on March 30th and I shall pick a winner. Any comments without email addresses will not be entered! Good luck!