No One Will Miss Her

Starred review from August 2, 2021
The murder of Lizzie Oullette, the most hated woman in rundown Copper Falls, Maine, jump-starts this clever, surprising psychological thriller from YA author Rosenfield (Inland). Few people mourn Lizzie, their dislike stemming from her rough background, the only child of the local junkyard’s owner. Instead, the residents of Copper Falls (“not even the yearly influx of tourists could reverse the town’s protracted death from neglect”) are more worried about her missing husband, the prime suspect in Lizzie’s murder, regarded by them as “some kind of hometown hero whose life had been unfairly derailed.” The investigation of Det. Ian Bird of the Maine State Police takes him to Boston to track down Adrienne and Ethan Richards, the wealthy couple who rented the lake house where Lizzie’s body was found. A much-despised disgraced financier, Ethan was never prosecuted for bilking many out of their life savings. Flashbacks reveal how the lives of Lizzie and smug, arrogant Adrienne intersected with fatal results. The superb character-driven plot delivers an astonishing, believable jolt. Rosenfield shines a searing light on issues of classism, jealousy, and squandered potential. Agent: Yfat Reiss Gendell, Foundry Media.

December 17, 2021

In the first pages of YA author Rosenfield's (Inland) first adult suspense novel, narrator Lizzie Ouellette informs readers that if they're reading this, she is dead. A pariah in her Maine hometown, she grew up in a trailer on a junkyard owned by her father. Lizzie married Dwayne Cleaves, the local golden boy, but the people of Copper Falls think she ruined his life. They also frown on her renting out a small lake house her father gave her to "outside folks." One summer, wealthy Bostonians Ethan and Adrienne Richards rent the cottage as a country getaway, and hardscrabble Lizzie and media influencer Adrienne form a wary, fascinated, class boundary-pushing relationship. Then two murders occur in Copper Falls and later, another in the Richardses' house in Boston's Beacon Hill. But nothing is exactly as it seems, and detective Ian Burns works to unravel the homicides. VERDICT This suspenseful, well-plotted tale will be a winner for mystery book clubs and readers who enjoy stories about the haves and the have-nots.--Vicki Gregory, Sch. of Information, Univ. of South Florida, Tampa

Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2022

In Rosenfield's (cowriter, with Stan Lee, of A Trick of Light) solo adult debut, Lizzie Oullette recounts, from beyond the grave, the events that led up to her death and the disappearance of her husband. Born and raised in her father's junkyard in Maine, Lizzie has long wanted something better for herself but been thwarted at every turn. So when rich, glamorous Adrienne Richards wants to rent Lizzie's lake cottage on a regular basis, despite its obscure location and lack of amenities, Lizzie sees an opportunity to change her life. She and Adrienne develop an uneasy friendship that eventually sours, leading to betrayal and death. Cassandra Campbell, Sophie Amoss, and Chris Andrew Ciulla narrate, bringing to life the two women and a detective investigating Lizzie's death. VERDICT Even infrequent suspense readers will see the big twist coming a mile down the road, but fans of the underdog will still enjoy the ride.--Stephanie Klose

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from November 1, 2021
This grisly, gut-twisting blockbuster of a mystery from pop-culture and political writer Rosenfield deserves two big thumbs up. Lizzie Ouellette has always been considered trailer trash by the citizens of Copper Falls, Maine. She and her dad run a junkyard, but their biggest sin is that they weren't born in Copper Falls. Lizzie's dad moved to town 40 years ago and married a local girl, but when Lizzie was a kid, her mother--drunk and drugged--died in a car crash. Lizzie's had a tough life, winding up getting pregnant by and then marrying Dwayne, the ne'er-do-well son of the local preacher. Nevertheless, whatever she's done wrong, whatever secrets she kept, she surely doesn't deserve to be murdered, her body left in the torched junkyard. Dwayne and his shotgun are missing, so the local cops conclude that he shot Lizzie and fled. It's not that easy, as the state police investigator who found the body suspects. Readers will be gripped by this Byzantine and astonishing story in which one gasp-inducing twist follows on the heels of another. A unique page-turner that just begs to be turned into a movie.

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