Searching for Vivian

by Babette Hughes

In 1966, seventeen year old Vivian Russell disappeared like smoke. The seemingly senseless murder of her parents in their home in Cleveland, Ohio was as inexplicable as her vanishing act in its aftermath. Her younger sister, Emma-traumatized by the horrific event-grows into a capable and relentless investigator who decides to do whatever it takes to find her. Her search takes her through the turbulent sixties-Viet Nam, The Black Panthers, dead ends, and bank jobs. Along the way, she finds herself and, whether she is prepared for it or not, the truth.

Genres: Mystery

137 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 25, 2016

About the author

Cleveland, Ohio native Babette Rosen Hughes is a bootlegger’s daughter whose father and uncle were murdered by the Mafia. Ms. Hughes is the co-author of Why College Students Fail and author of the memoir, Lost And Found.
Her published columns, articles and book reviews can be found in the Saturday Review, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Cleveland Magazine and the Cleveland Press.
Babette and her husband are parents and stepparents to eight children and now reside in Austin, Texas.

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the author and Net Galley for a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.

The synopsis of this book set the scene well. Emma returns home from school one day to find her house full of the police, her parents dead and her older sister Vivian missing. The police searched for Vivian, Emma's aunt and uncle searched for Vivian but she was not to be found.

Fast forward 20 years and Emma is living with her aunt and uncle, working as a librarian and not living much of a life. It is though something died with her that night too. Despite her aunt's best efforts Emma claims she is happy with her life and doesn't want it to change.

However change it does, starting with the death of her beloved aunt. This wakes something up in Emma and she decides that she will search for Vivian herself, regardless of how much time has passed and the lack of success from those that tried before her.

The writing in this book was very good and kept the story moving along at a good pace. I did spot a few spelling errors which interrupted my flow a little such as high heals, instead of heels and champaign instead of champagne, but on the whole I found it well written.

However in my opinion the leap between events, the ease with which Emma found Vivian and some of the final outcomes were a bit too far fetched and unrealistic. That said, they didn't spoil a cracking good read.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was not what I was expecting at all. In honesty I was disappointed with it.

[Boundless Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to say thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Searching for Vivian was a sad book. Emma is just 10 when her parents are murdered and her older sister, Vivian, is kidnapped. Emma becomes a recluse. She has little to no friends and lives her life for her Aunt. When her Aunt passes away suddenly, she begins to feel the need to find her sister. The biggest question Emma needs to answer is "Where is Vivian?"

This book was very straight forward. In the first part you meet Emma and see her story as she begins the search for Vivian. Along the way she come across things that really were better left in the past. In the second part, you see Vivian's story and the truth about what happened to her.

I think my favorite part was the fact that when she begins searching for her sister, Emma begins to blossom. She comes out of her shell and becomes freer than she was when she was younger. In finding her sister, she ultimately finds herself. This made me feel good about her as a character. She had such a hard life that it feels good to see her make a better life for herself.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was written well and kept me reading late into the night....Stormi


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[Nicole Jeffords · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Babette Hughes’ new novel, Searching for Vivian, with great pleasure and interest. First of all, I love the way Babette writes – not a wasted word or sentence. Her language is vivid, flowing (never flowery!) and workmanlike, always serving the story rather than the other way around. Babette Hughes is a nonagenarian but you would never know that from the extremely nimble way she tells a story, her voice young, clear and engaging. Searching for Vivian pulled me in from the first sentence: “The Cleveland Press called the murders senseless because the Russells had no known enemies and lord knows there wasn’t much to steal; all they had was a pickup, an old black and white TV with one snowy channel and little else.” The novel offers a first rate study of the dissociative effect of major trauma, in this case murder, on the mind and being of ten-year-old Emma Russell, whose parents were brutally killed and whose sister disappeared without a trace one cold sunny afternoon in 1966. Emma purposefully designs the rest of her life so that she can continue in her numb cocoon – a ploy that works until another death shakes her out of her weird stasis and she has no choice but to go on a search for her sister that takes her through the civil unrest of the 60s and 70s to her present day life twenty years later. Makes for a great read!

[Elaine Tomasso · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank Netgalley and Lamplight Press for an advance copy of Searching For Vivian which is about Emma Russell's search in 1986 for her sister Vivian 20 years after she disappeared during their parents' murder. This is not my usual fare which is modern police procedurals but I was intrigued by the premise and decided to give it a go.
I would say that this is a simple novel. It is divided into two parts with the first covering Emma's search and the reasons for it and the second covering Vivian's life after the murder. Emma's story has a down to earth, matter of fact, almost distant tone which is surprisingly intimate as she wakes up to life after years of suppressing it and discovers many unpalatable facts about her family. Vivian's story is a bit of a let down. It is full of adventure at a historically important time but there is no depth to it and seems more like a straight recitation of facts. This is a shame as it could have been so much more.
I enjoyed Searching For Vivian and found it to be an easy, untaxing read

[Jackie Roche · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest and open review.
This is the tale of a girl's search for her sister who disappeared twenty years ago.
It's a book of two parts. The first concerns the how and why of Emma's search. The second is Vivian, her sister's story.
I enjoyed the book but I feel the ending let it down slightly. It seemed and abrupt ending and quite cliched.
However, if you like suspense/thrillers, it's well worth reading.

[Norma Budden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two things stand out to me in this story: the first is that perseverance pays off, just not always in the way you expect. The second is that you never know when a raised voice or moment of anger can bring the world you've created for yourself to a crashing halt.

I'm totally amazed by the turn of events which took place in this story. It was full of surprises and had me hooked from beginning to end. The end of the story was one I did not see coming. I would definitely read more by this author.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fantastic read! I love the way the author spoke so plainly & honestly- her characters were straightforward & the story flowed so smoothly. I also liked how the book was broken up into 2 sections, one telling the story of Emma & her search & the other telling Vivian's story..

I stayed up way to late reading this book!

Advanced Reader Copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Mg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well-written and engaging book. However, I expected something less straight-forward. Perhaps something dark involving the Uncle Thad. Maybe because I wanted the parents not to be drug addicts. If you enjoy a Patty Hearst-type story set in the 1960's you will enjoy this book. Don't get me wrong, I did like it but expected a different kind of story.

[Jenn Swanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC from NetGalley.
This book was amazing! It was about a young woman who was trying to find out what happened to her sister, who was abducted, 20 years later. It follows her relentless pursuit in finding out not only how and why her sister was abducted but also why her parents were killed leaving her an orphan. I would definitely recommend this book. It is worth reading!