Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier
This is the tale of three close friends, including one who was killed, another who was imprisoned, and a third who has been looking for the truth for years.
One of the most popular girls in school, Angela Wong, vanished without a trace when she was sixteen years old. Nobody ever had any reason to believe that Georgina Shaw, who is currently an executive and rising star at her Seattle-based pharmaceutical business, was somehow connected. Kaiser Brody, who was good friends with both girls in high school, most definitely wasn’t.
However, Angela Wong’s bones are found in the woods next to Geo’s boyhood home fourteen years later. And Kaiser, who is now a detective with the Seattle Police Department, discovers the truth: Angela was Calvin James’ victim.
Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier
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Calvin James, the same person who killed at least three other women. Calvin is considered a serial killer by the police. But he is absolutely different to Geo. Calvin was Geo’s first love in high school. Their relationship was tumultuous and frequently explosive, bordering on obsession from the moment they first met until the night Angela was killed.
Geo was aware of what happened to Angela for fourteen years, but he kept it a secret. She kept Angela’s death a secret for fourteen years up until Geo was apprehended and imprisoned.
Even if everyone believes they have discovered the truth, there are still sinister secrets hidden somewhere. And no one truly knows how complicated and terrifying what transpired that fateful night was.
When additional victims start to surface, all of which were murdered in the same way as Angela Wong, the obsessional past finally catches up with the lethal present.
What lengths will someone go to keep her pain and secrets hidden? How long can a lie be tolerated? How much longer can you tolerate it? Find out in Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier.
The manner this book was written pleased me. It focuses on the main character, Geo, as she deals with the fallout from a choice she made when she was just 16 years old that has come back to bother her at 30. I enjoy that the present is written in the present tense and the past is written in the past tense as the novel alternates between the protagonist and her 16-year-old self. The fact that the point of view alternated between people gave the reader a more complete understanding of what was occurring.
Wonderful characters are present. My favourite character in both the past and the present was Kaiser, one of Geo’s closest pals when he was 16 years old. He just seems so lovable. I felt conflicted about the protagonist.
The best for her was what I wanted, but I also wanted to slap her and tell her to stop making such foolish choices. She is undoubtedly fortunate to have a father who is so loving and to has managed to surround herself with wonderful people. all, of course, barring one.
Almost the entire way through, it left me guessing about the big picture, but I did figure out one major plot aspect early on. However, I don’t believe it lessened how stunning the book was; I was just happy to know I had it correct. I didn’t figure out the major twist until a page before it was presented, and I did gasp aloud when I did.
