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A Guide for Murdered Children: A Novel
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Published:
Penguin Publishing Group 2018
Status:
Available from OverDrive
Description
"In her astonishing thriller, Sarah Sparrow has joined the ranks of Shirley Jackson and Stephen King. A warning: there is no safe place to read this book."
–David Cronenberg
 
Terrifying, thoroughly original and hauntingly written, A Guide for Murdered Children is a psychological thriller—and otherworldly surprise.
 
We’ve heard it said that there is no justice in this world. But what if there really was? What if the souls of murdered children were able to briefly return, inhabit adult bodies and wreak revenge on the monstrous killers who stole their lives?
 
Such is the unthinkable mystery confronting ex-NYPD detective Willow Wylde, fresh out of rehab and finally able to find a job running a Cold Case squad in suburban Detroit. When the two rookie cops assigned to him take an obsessive interest in a decades-old disappearance of a brother and sister, Willow begins to suspect something out of the ordinary is afoot. And when he uncovers a series of church basement AA-type meetings made up of the slain innocents, a new way of looking at life, death, murderand missed opportunitiesis revealed to him.
 
Mystical, harrowing and powerfully moving, A Guide for Murdered Children is a genre-busting, mind-bending twist on the fine line between the ordinary… and the unfathomable.
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Format:
Adobe EPUB eBook, Kindle Book, OverDrive Read
Street Date:
03/20/2018
Language:
English
ISBN:
9780399574542
ASIN:
B074S4XWKC
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Citations
APA Citation (style guide)

Sarah Sparrow. (2018). A Guide for Murdered Children: A Novel. Penguin Publishing Group.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)

Sarah Sparrow. 2018. A Guide for Murdered Children: A Novel. Penguin Publishing Group.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)

Sarah Sparrow, A Guide for Murdered Children: A Novel. Penguin Publishing Group, 2018.

MLA Citation (style guide)

Sarah Sparrow. A Guide for Murdered Children: A Novel. Penguin Publishing Group, 2018.

Note! Citation formats are based on standards as of July 2022. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy.
Copy Details
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Grouped Work ID:
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Needs Update?:
No
Date Added:
Jun 12, 2018 18:07:05
Date Updated:
Dec 06, 2020 02:46:19
Last Metadata Check:
Mar 24, 2024 09:35:58
Last Metadata Change:
Nov 19, 2023 10:57:50
Last Availability Check:
Mar 24, 2024 09:36:00
Last Availability Change:
Oct 09, 2023 01:18:22
Last Grouped Work Modification Time:
Mar 29, 2024 02:17:20

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"In her astonishing thriller, Sarah Sparrow has joined the ranks of Shirley Jackson and Stephen King. A warning: there is no safe place to read this book."
–David Cronenberg
 
Terrifying, thoroughly original and hauntingly written, A Guide for Murdered Children is a psychological thriller—and otherworldly surprise.
 
We’ve heard it said that there is no justice in this world. But what if there really was? What if the souls of murdered children were able to briefly return, inhabit adult bodies and wreak revenge on the monstrous killers who stole their lives?
 
Such is the unthinkable mystery confronting ex-NYPD detective Willow Wylde, fresh out of rehab and finally able to find a job running a Cold Case squad in suburban Detroit. When the two rookie cops assigned to him take an obsessive interest in a decades-old disappearance of a brother and sister, Willow begins to suspect something out of the ordinary is afoot. And when he uncovers a series of church basement AA-type meetings made up of the slain innocents, a new way of looking at life, death, murderand missed opportunitiesis revealed to him.
 
Mystical, harrowing and powerfully moving, A Guide for Murdered Children is a genre-busting, mind-bending twist on the fine line between the ordinary… and the unfathomable.
reviews
      • premium: True
      • source: Publisher's Weekly
      • content:

        December 11, 2017
        This highly unusual and, at times, uneven synthesis of whodunit and paranormal suspense from the pseudonymous Sparrow, billed as a “distinguished award-winning novelist,” centers on 57-year-old Willow Wylde, an alcoholic former NYPD cop. Fresh out of rehab in Arizona, Willow, whose wreckage of a personal life is one long cautionary tale, accepts a job as the head of a newly formed cold case task force in Macomb County, Mich. One case in particular—the decades-old disappearance of a brother and sister—draws his attention. Further investigation leads Willow to some mind-blowing revelations: the spirits of murdered children are returning and inhabiting adult bodies, seeking a “moment of balance” so they can track down and enact supernatural retribution on their killers. The dense narrative is slow-building, but those readers who have patience to get through the somewhat confusing beginning will be rewarded with a touching, albeit brutal, tale of redemption. Agent: Andrew Wylie, Wylie Agency.

      • premium: True
      • source: Booklist
      • content:

        December 1, 2017
        It's too bad Sparrow is using a pseudonym; any writer ought to gleefully claim this paranormal mystery's clever concept. The titular guide is a pink, stapled packet handed out to select adults who, because of their near-death experiences, have become landlords to the spirits of murdered children. This roommate situation occurs so that the murdered children can then murder their own murderers! Neat, huh? Not so neat to ex-NYPD detective Willow Wylde, whose new consolation-prize assignment is heading up a cold-case squad. Slowly he realizes his two new recruits are landlords out to solve cold cases for very personal reasonsand, furthermore, Willow himself has a big part to play in these possessions. It's enjoyably troubling, often dramatic, occasionally shocking, and periodically funny (as all body-swap stories are). It's not the pacey thriller, however, that it sounds like; Sparrow's winding, shaggy style can frustrate and confound, and unlikely coincidences abound. Still, the gonzo premise and idiosyncratic language (free use of adjectives like barfy) mostly pay off.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

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"In her astonishing thriller, Sarah Sparrow has joined the ranks of Shirley Jackson and Stephen King. A warning: there is no safe place to read this book."
–David Cronenberg
 
Terrifying, thoroughly original and hauntingly written, A Guide for Murdered Children is a psychological thriller—and otherworldly surprise.
 
We’ve heard it said that there is no justice in this world. But what if there really was? What if the souls of murdered children were able to briefly return, inhabit adult bodies and wreak revenge on the monstrous killers who stole their lives?
 
Such is the unthinkable mystery confronting ex-NYPD detective Willow Wylde, fresh out of rehab and finally able to find a job running a Cold Case squad in suburban Detroit. When the two rookie cops assigned to him take an obsessive interest in a decades-old disappearance of a brother and sister, Willow begins to suspect...
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