Girl in Snow: A Novel

Danya Kukafka

Aug 2017 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

“A perfectly paced and tautly plotted thriller…and an incredibly accomplished debut” (Paula Hawkins, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Girl on the Train and Into the Water), about a beloved high schooler found murdered in her sleepy Colorado suburb and the secret lives of three people connected to her.

How can you love someone who’s done something horribly, horribly wrong? When a beloved high schooler named Lucinda Hayes is found murdered, no one in her community is untouched—not the boy who loved her too much; not the girl who wanted her perfect life; not the officer assigned to investigate her murder. In the aftermath of the tragedy, these three indelible characters—Cameron, Jade, and Russ—must each confront their darkest secrets in an effort to find solace, the truth, or both.

In crystalline prose, Danya Kukafka offers a brilliant exploration of identity and of the razor-sharp line between love and obsession, between watching and seeing, between truth and memory. “A sensational debut—great characters, mysteries within mysteries, and page-turning pace. Highly recommended” (Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Jack Reacher novels). Hailed as “Gillian Flynn of 2017” (Yahoo! Style), compulsively readable and powerfully moving, Girl in Snow is “engagingly told… its endearing characters’ struggles linger in memory after this affecting work is done” (The Wall Street Journal).

Ratings and reviews

I received a copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This was not your traditional mystery. There is not a lot of investigating by the police. The focus is on understanding the three main characters, Cameron, Jade and Russ. I think the author’s intent with providing so much detail on all the characters and the side stories was to distract you from solving the mystery. The mystery did not seem to be the focus of this story. What I didn’t like: Jade’s perspective is told in two ways. One, what she actually says. Two, what she wishes she would say through a play she is writing. This felt redundant to me and distracting. The story was slow in the beginning. Some of the side stories seemed unnecessary and distracting. For instance, Jade’s conversations with the homeless man. I could not see what this added to the story. What I did like: Towards the end of the book I enjoyed the detail of the characters and the relationship with each other. I did not guess the ending. Who would like this book: If you like relationship drama with a little touch of mystery thrown in, you might like this book. This is NOT an edge of your seat thriller or compelling murder mystery.

At first was quite confused but later got really interesting.

About the author

Danya Kukafka is a graduate of New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study. Girl in Snow is her first novel.