What Remains of Me

This is one of my favorite reads of the year so far.

In What Remains of Me, Gaylin spins an amazingly tangled tale about a murder from the past and a murder from the present colliding, sending secrets spiraling out from the wreckage.

Hollywood is a place of secrets and lies, and Kelly Lund is caught up in the middle of it all. When she was a teenager, she was convicted of murdering a famous movie director. Now out of prison, her father-in-law is found dead under similar circumstances, and Kelly finds herself a suspect once again.

Gaylin is a brilliant writer. What I have to mention first and foremost is how expertly she delivers her twists. I spent the last third of the book literally gasping out loud, unable to stop turning pages because show more I had to know what would happen next. Just when I would think I had things figured out, Gaylin would completely surprise me once again.

I also really loved the technique of weaving flashbacks from the time of the original murder with scenes from the present day. This did a lot for character development, as well as setting up future plot points and creating a lot of suspense.

Essentially, I can't say enough about how much I loved this book. It's absolutely one of the ones I'm going to go to when people ask for a recommended read that they haven't heard of yet. show less

This reminds me a bit of Dear Daughter in the fact that it deals with a young woman who is part of the celebrity world and who has been sentenced to prison for a murder. It also includes a few sections from news media as well as the more traditional story format. There it parts company. Where the main character in DD is completely revolting and unsympathetic, Kelly is the opposite. She has paid the price of her crime and through the story told in the present and the flashes to the past, we come to understand her and how she came to be at the movie after party with a gun. Of course we doubt what really happened then and through the present narrative, form enough sympathy for Kelly that we want the real killer caught. Of course there has show more to be a real killer. She’s shielding someone, surely. Right? Right? show less

This book was a pleasant surprise. I didn't think I would really like it because it was set in Hollywood but that probably was what made this so enjoyable. It starts out on the hottest night of the year, 1980, when Kelly Lund, 17, shot and killed a famous director, John McFadden at a party. An unfortunate picture of her dead eye smile makes her fodder for the tabloids for years. 30 years later, five years after she's released from prison, her father-in-law, is found shot and it looks like the same killer did it. The story goes back and forth between 1980 and 2010 giving the background for what happened to these two men. Enjoyable.

Seventeen-year-old Kelly Michelle Lund shot and killed director John McFadden at a party 30 years ago. Kelly is now living with her husband, Shane Marshall, after being released from prison five years earlier. But then her father-in-law gets shot in the same way as John McFadden was shot and the public and the police seem to think that Kelly is the one behind the murder.

I was instantly captivated by the story when I started to read the book. I liked that as we follow Kelly in present time we also get flashbacks to the past, to 1980 when she was just a young girl who had lost a sister and felt outside in school. As the story progress in the present time, it also progresses in the past as we slowly learn what really happened 30 years ago show more when John McFadden was killed. Nothing is as it appears. Everyone seems to have dark secrets. I was surprised to find out who killed Sterling Marshall. I had my thoughts set on another person, to be honest. But the ending was really good.

There are a lot of twists in the story, some easier to figure out than others. To be honest, there weren't really any big surprises in the story, but that didn't make the book less interesting to read. On the contrary, it was satisfying to be able to figure things out before it happened, to have one's suspicions proven right. It's like a jigsaw and all the pieces are falling into place. I loved the fact that the story took place in Hollywood among actors and directors. A privileged world, but among all the glitter and fame are there people with dark secrets...

This is the first book I have read written by Alison Gaylin, but I will keep an eye out for other books by her. I enjoyed reading this book very much and if you like thrillers is this a book for you.

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through Edelweiss for an honest review. show less

Convicted killer Kelly Lund is trying to live a quiet life after release from prison. She’s served 25 years for shooting Hollywood director John McFadden in an apparent drug-induced teenage rage. Now the nightmare is starting all over again. Fifties movie idol, Sterling Marshall (McFadden’s good friend and now Kelly’s father-in-law), has been found shot with the same weapon and in the same fashion – and Kelly is yet again a suspect in the murder inquiry. Only this time, she has some unlikely allies convinced of her innocence.

“What Remains of Me” is a psychological thriller, jumping 30 years between the events leading up to the two murders. Author Alison Gaylin is perhaps better known as the author of the Brenna Spector show more series. Her skills in suspense and dialogue shines through in this stand alone effort. Gaylin’s plot slowly gives up secret upon secret leading up to the exciting conclusion. Some of the twists were predictable, but a few came as a total surprise. Some people might be put off by the sudden shifts in time. Most will be appreciate the high-flying Hollywood setting and fast paced suspense. (4 stars)

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. show less

Kelly's twin sister was an aspiring actress who committed suicide age 15. Kelly is less attractive and less interested in the Hollywood lifestyle but when she is befriended by Bellamy, daughter of a Hollywood superstar, she gets sucked into a world of drugs and excess. This ends as Kelly is convicted of the murder of director John McFadden, the father of Her sister's unborn baby. Fast-forward thirty years and Kelly is now free from prison, married to the brother of her former friend Bellamy and living far in the desert. When her father-in-law is shot dead the press and the police come after Kelly, after all she is a notorious teen murderer.

I found this book really hard to get in to at first. It seemed a nit confused and disjointed but show more I'm glad I persevered as the story really starts to pick up. Kelly's odd relationship with Shane is understandable when the truth comes out and I liked the way that two male characters were both hiding behind aliases, yet were closely linked to Kelly. Whilst parts of the story were very underdeveloped, the plot was appropriately twisty, though not as much as the blurb would lead one to believe. It's more of a 'bestseller' type book that anything deeply profound but is enjoyable enough in its own right. show less

Yes! This book checks off every box for me: suspense, romance, friendship, family, betrayal, redemption, lies, and truth. I found myself gasping aloud and having to put the book down for a few moments just to collect and absorb. I’m not giving out any spoilers (so look elsewhere if that’s what you came for), however, I must say one of the twists crossed my boundary threshold, though luckily it wasn’t covered at length or in sordid detail so I was able to push through it; Alison Gaylin truly knew where to leave it. I enjoyed this book immensely and look forward to delving into the author’s previous work.