In June 1994, the small city of Henley, Ohio, was devastated by a twister, a flash flood and its first and solely homicide—nonetheless unsolved—all within the span of one week now often called “the long stretch of bad days.” Thirty-ish years later, aspiring journalist Lydia Chass learns that she is one historical past credit score shy of assembly commencement necessities, resulting from an error by her steerage counselor, who has substance abuse points. So Lydia’s principal makes her a deal: In trade for protecting quiet in regards to the counselor, Lydia will use her podcast to inform the story of that week in June and earn her lacking credit score.
Lydia wants entry to the unsavory components of Henley, so she recruits Bristal Jamison to be her co-host. Bristal and her household have a popularity in Henley for criminality, however regardless of her bad-girl persona, Bristal is decided to change into the primary individual in her household to graduate highschool. When Lydia and Bristal’s inquiry reveals {that a} teenage woman additionally went lacking through the lengthy stretch of dangerous days, their investigation shakes free a killer.
A Long Stretch of Bad Days reads like a intelligent buddy-cop thriller, however the buddy cops are a pair of decided teen ladies with one thing to show. Lydia’s father is a protection lawyer whose advocacy on behalf of violent criminals usually attracts Henley’s ire, and Lydia is sick of continuously projecting a pleasant, well mannered picture to individuals who appear to actively hate her. Meanwhile, Bristal chafes at Henley’s assumptions about ladies in her household (that they’re normally pregnant earlier than commencement, and that they by no means marry their youngsters’s fathers). Together, Lydia and Bristal kind a wonderful crew, with Bristal bringing essential comedian reduction to Lydia’s seriousness.
Author Mindy McGinnis usually explores feminist themes in her fiction, and right here she explores the societal expectations confronted by younger girls in small-town America. As Lydia exposes Henley’s underbelly, she is continually reminded to not ruffle any feathers and to not painting anybody too negatively. Henley’s airtight maintain signifies that most of its residents can hint their lineage again to the city’s founders. No one strikes away; as an alternative, generations upon generations stay inside Henley’s boundaries and conceal its secrets and techniques, perpetuating a cycle of defending one’s personal on the expense of outsiders.
Despite the intense topics at its core, A Long Stretch of Bad Days makes use of humor and poignant emotion to construct a well-crafted homicide thriller that’s arduous to place down and even tougher to overlook.
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