A Slow Ruin: Library Journal IAP Book of the Year

Pamela Crane

Dec 2021 · Pamela Crane Mystery and Thriller Bundle Deal Book 3 · Tabella House

About this ebook

An INSTANT BESTSELLER and BOOK CLUB PICK!

Library Journal NCIAP Book of the Year

April 1910. Women's rights activist Alvera Fields mysteriously vanishes from her home one night, leaving her newborn baby and husband behind, the case never solved.

April 2021. On the anniversary of her great-great-grandmother's disappearance, Alvera's namesake Vera Portman vanishes in an eerily similar manner.

Six months later, the police recover a girl's body. While the family waits in the horror of finding out if it's Vera, Felicity Portman clings to hope that her missing teenage daughter is still alive. Despite all odds, Felicity senses a link between the decades-apart cases--a mother feels such things in her bones. But all suspicion points to the last person who saw Vera alive: Felicity's sister-in-law, Marin.

Marin, with her troubled past.

Marin, the poor woman who married into the rich family.

Marin, the only one who knows Felicity's darkest secret.

As Felicity makes a shocking discovery in Vera's journal, she questions who her daughter really is. The deeper she digs, the more she's ensnared in the same mysteries that claimed their ancestor in a terribly slow ruin.

From the USA TODAY bestselling author of Little Deadly Secrets comes a page-turning psychological thriller that weaves an ancient family mystery with tense drama. A book club pick perfect for fans of Celeste Ng's Little Fires Everywhere, Laura Dave's The Last Thing He Told Me, Lisa Jewell, and Ruth Ware.

"An emotionally charged mystery of how a mother must lose her daughter to find herself. Chilling from the first page. Gripping until the last." - reader review

Praise for Pamela Crane:

"It kept me on my toes the whole time I was reading it and trying to guess the twisty ending of what really happened. Fans of thrillers, suspense, and mystery novels will not be disappointed with this book." - San Francisco Book Review

"You are not prepared for the twists...Pamela Crane has in store for you. Sure to have you at the edge of your seat." - POPSUGAR

"Crane succeeds at painting families and friendships in vivid detail; women will see their tussles and triumphs in these pages, and will relish the twists and moments of brave camaraderie and bold revenge... A satisfying read that has echoes of Liane Moriarty and of Emily Giffin's All We Ever Wanted." - Booklist

Ratings and reviews

**Happy Publication Day***(Nov. 30, 2021) Don't miss this author!! Pamela Crane did not disappoint in this domestic thriller spanning almost 100 years!! With her skillful hand, she was able to incorporate a family's history of secrets and lies through several generations. The story begins in 1910, with Alvera Fields fighting for women's rights. When she disappeared, suffragists claimed someone did something to her because of what she stood for. She was very wealthy and they knew she would never leave behind her baby, husband and their beautiful estate. The dual timeline changes to 2021 when her great-great-granddaughter Vera disappears on the exact date. What could the connection be and why? This is an emotionally charged book about a mother's search for her missing daughter and a hard look at her own parenting skills. The Heirs never sold Alvera's estate or the remnants within, but looked at the clues left behind hoping for a solution to the most recent missing case. When parents, Felecity & Oliver locate Vera's journal, there is much to be said about the things discovered. Connecting the dots of both cases, you realize the lack of communication and warmth in the family is missing also. There are a lot of family issues going on...infidelities, dark secrets, lies and a sister-in-law, Marin, that may have something to do with Vera's disappearance. This shady character is hard to like, as well as some of the other ones. The twist at the end will sum up some of the behavior. The author manages to mesh the story lines together. At times, I struggled to make it work, but it kept me engaged to see what the outcome would be. I will definitely continue to indulge in this author's writing for she has a style that is worth escaping inside of.

Wow, this book has a lot going on. There are two narrators, Felicity and her sister-in-law Marin. Felicity's daughter is missing and the same happened to her great-great-grandmother in 1910. Is there a connection or is it merely coincidence? There is only one timeline but we are also given snippets of another from 1910 when Alvera went missing. There are also multiple plot threads and lots of characters to keep track of, yet Pamela Crane manages to seamlessly keep the story going, weaving a tale of lies and betrayals. Each chapter ends in such suspense that it kept me turning the pages to the next, I literally could not put this book down. None of the characters have any redeeming qualities, with the exception of the children. There are lots of secrets and backstabbing going on and I loved every minute of it. This was such a twisty novel and it kept me guessing throughout, I loved the ending and I highly recommend this addictive domestic drama for the suspense alone.

There is always that first ember of inspiration that fuels the blaze for every book I write. The inspiration behind this book sparked when my mom told me about an ancestor of mine who worked tirelessly for the women's suffrage movement, sacrificing her usual motherhood and wifely duties to dedicate her priorities to the cause. While looking into my ancestor's past, I came across news articles from 1910 chronicling the nationwide search for a missing heiress...and from there the ideas merged into a century-old mystery tied to a modern missing teen. What could a missing person from 100 years ago have to do with a girl missing today? You'll have to read the book to find out. ;) I'm not in the business of giving away spoilers to my own books, guys! I always try to outdo myself with each book. Twistier plots. A unique format. Darker atmosphere. Deeper characters. As I challenged myself to give you more, I hope I succeeded with this one. It's extra special to me because my daughter's face graces the cover, and my niece contributed to the teenage journal entries interspersed throughout. What could be more personally fulfilling than including my family in a book? You reading and enjoying it, of course. :) How about a plot rundown for you? Between news articles covering the details of their missing ancestor who was never found, you'll meet two modern families, bound my marriage, sharing grief as they search for their teen daughter Vera, who disappeared in an eerily similar way to her ancestor. As a body is recovered and they wait to find out if it's Vera, the family must unravel the secrets they've been hiding behind the scenes. Secrets that could either help locate Vera...or kill her. The plot thickens. The threat grows. And someone ends up dead... I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

About the author

PAMELA CRANE is a USA TODAY best-selling author and professional juggler. Not one who can toss flaming torches in the air, but a juggler of four kids, a writing addiction, and a horse rescuer. She lives on the edge (her Arabian horse can tell you about their wild adventures while trying to train him) and she writes on the edge...where her sanity resides. Her thrillers unravel flawed women who aren’t always pretty. In fact, her characters are rarely pretty, which makes them interesting...and perfect for doing crazy things worth writing about. When she’s not cleaning horse stalls or changing diapers, she’s psychoanalyzing others. Visit her website to get a free book at www.pamelacrane.com.