There’s no such thing as a perfect victim.
In a hotel room on a sleepy Pacific Island, Judy Novak waits. And worries. It isn’t the first time 29-year-old problem child Paulina has kept her mother waiting. But Judy can’t ignore the island’s jagged cliffs and towering pines—or the dread that Paulina has finally acted on her threats to take her own life…
When Paulina’s body is discovered, Judy’s worst fears seem confirmed. Only, Paulina didn’t kill herself. She was murdered.
So begins a thorny investigation, wherein every man on the island is a suspect yet none are as maligned as Paulina: the captivating newcomer known for her hard drinking, disastrous relationships, and habit of walking alone.
But, above all, Paulina is her mother’s daughter. And death won’t stop Judy Novak from fighting for Paulina’s life.
Laura Elizabeth Woollett’s The Newcomer isn’t your everyday crime book. It takes the ‘dead girl’ trope and delivers an original and captivating story, instead focusing on the victim Paulina, a troubled and misguided young woman who winds up dead … but at who’s hand? Judy takes it upon herself to find out the truth behind her daughter’s murder, and uncover the secrets that lay in the underbelly of the small island town.
The story takes place before Paulina’s murder as she struggles to find her way in the small town, and after it, with her mother Judy taking centre stage. Both characters—and almost every character in this story—are broken in one way or another. Paulina is a rejection of everything that the town expects of a young woman, and Judy is dealing with the grief and anger of losing her daughter, while slowly trying to uncover the truth.
While the central whodunnit mystery is original and intriguing, in the end this story isn’t really interested in who did it, but rather why it happened. Paulina struggles with abuse, depression and a plethora of other issues, and as Judy slowly comes to learn the truth, it culminates in an utterly heartbreaking climax.
If you enjoyed Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and Jacqueline Bublitz’ Before You Knew My Name, this is the book for you. Genre-bending, heartbreaking, and powerfully intriguing, Laura Elizabeth Woollett’s The Newcomer is a highly original novel that not only breathes new life into the crime genre, but flips it on its head and delivers a standout story.
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