The Night She Died

by Jennifer Patrick

Seventeen-year-old Sterling O’Connor works at the local Dairy Queen in a small town in Georgia. With his bleachedout hair and multiple piercings, smart, edgy Sterling has already cut a swath through the local high school talent. One day a stranger walks in, an older woman from up north. His attraction is instant and all-consuming. To Lara he is just a kid with a crush. But he does have something going for him. Alone, and a stranger in town, Lara finds herself spending time with Sterling. She buys an old Victorian house and hires him to help her fix it up. They become closer, and she is drawn to him. Rumors about her relationships with men soon begin to circulate, and tensions escalate.

Lara is shot dead. And Sterling is the prime suspect.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

326 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2004

Reviews

[Amelia.S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jennifer Patrick’s The Night She Died is a haunting debut that blurs the lines between obsession, innocence, and guilt. Set against the backdrop of small town Georgia, the story captures the volatile chemistry between two lost souls Sterling, a restless teenager aching for connection, and Lara, an older woman running from her past. Patrick masterfully builds tension through her poetic prose and psychological precision, exploring how desire, rumor, and loneliness can spiral into tragedy. The novel’s slow burning suspense and emotional complexity make it far more than a mystery it’s a gripping portrait of vulnerability, human frailty, and the dangerous edges of love.

[MBenzz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I agree with most of the reviewers here who said this book is very well written and is a real page-turner. It is...for the most part. However, by the time I got to page 230, I was annoyed. It seemed like the story was just going in circles. Laura Walton, the pretty new woman in a quiet, gossipy small town in Georgia, has come there to try and escape her memories of Washington D.C. Of the boyfriend who died in a horrible car accident, and the life they had together there, only to be murdered 3 months after arriving.

She befriends two local men. Sterling O'Conner, a 17-year-old boy with a hard life, and Eric Teague, owner of the music store who's been a father figure to Sterling ever since his daddy skipped town. Both men are attracted to Laura, but neither seems to get anywhere. There's just pages and pages of her toying with both of their emotions. Her neediness and constant cries for attention were really trying on my patience.

What I most looked forward to were the chapters after Laura's murder, when police Captain Edgars was trying to put together the pieces of her death, and figure out who the murderer was. It was just such a drawn-out process, that after 3/4 of the way through I started skimming to get to the who-dun-it pages. And even that didn't surprise me. I was just so relieved to finally get through the book. While the characters were all very well developed, and the story well written, the pace was just too slow for me. And the monotony of the relationship between the three main characters irritated me.

Overall, I just wasn't impressed with Ms. Patrick. It was a decent book, and as much as I'd love to, I just can't give it the rave reviews that everyone else here has given it. If you love murder mysteries, then you'll probably really enjoy this book...but I guess I just couldn't get past my extreme dislike for the main character, Laura Walton.

[Devon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed on amazon.com February 21, 2009


This book was excellent. The story line pulls the reader in right away and Patrick's execution was pitch perfect.

`THE NIGHT SHE DIED' takes the reader back through a series of events that led up to the death of a woman who just moved to a small Georgia town. Not only is the mystery gripping but Patrick uses the many flashbacks to endear the reader to the victim as well as the suspects before we are lead to the surprising conclusion.

Jennifer Patrick is a great storyteller who has put a new twist on the typical murder mystery. `THE NIGHT SHE DIED' is her first novel but if it is at all telling of the talent and imagination of the author then she is definitely one to watch out for!

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is probably more like 3 1/2 stars.... very interesting "mystery" set in a small town in Georgia. I like that it is somewhat more focused on the characters than the mystery itself. Also, it's told in flashback so even though the opening starts with the murder of Lara Walton, she is still the "main character" because we see so much of her throughout the book. Ultimately some of the other characters annoyed me so that's what prevented it from being a 4 star. But it was still well done.

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was fortunate enough to read this book in draft form, and it is a fine work--never mind that it's the first published novel from this author. Jennifer Patrick is a gifted writer, and I hope more of her unpublished works see the shelves soon.

[Daisy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found this book at my local thrift shop and has since been added to my unexpected favorites list. I loved the story line, the twist and all the characters. they had so much depth and development. Definitely got me hooked on the murder mystery genre.

[Gilbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent first effort from Ms. Patrick, full of pace, place, and players. I highly recommend the book to those interested in contemporary Southern Gothic and/or mystery lovers.....

[Diane Colborn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the trio of unlikely friends who form the centerpiece of this intriguing a story which is a mystery, a portrait of small town Southern living, and a character study.