Not That I Could Tell - Jessica Strawser

Not That I Could Tell by Jessica Strawser

First Paragraph(s):

Ever wonder what your friends really think of you?
     I take a lot of care in my appearance, for instance.  I'm a small-town doctor's wife, so I need to look the part--even if I don't feel the part.  And I have twins enrolled in pre-K at a charter school so obsessed with freethinking it will shove free thoughts down your throat.  So I make sure it's obvious to everyone there what happy, healthy, cherished little people my kids are.  I never forget to dress in their pajamas for pajama day.  I always sign up to bring the most elaborate snacks to the class parties.  I help other moms in the parking lot when their pumpkin seats jam or their strollers collapse.  I make a point of knowing all their names.
     You probably think I care a lot what my friends think.
     I don't.
     None of this charade is for them.
     It's no great accomplishment to get someone to believe a lie.  It's not that hard, really.  Look at me: doctor's wife, working mom, good neighbor.  You've already summed me up, haven't you?  You're already filling in the blanks.

My Thoughts:

This is another audio from my library - my hold finally became available.  I read Jessica Strawser's first book, Almost Missed You, last year and liked it.  I knew that this one had been a 'Book of the Month' pick, so I decided to try it too.  Some of the set-up was familiar - neighborhood women friends - kids are playmates - secrets told or not - and then, someone is gone.  The police step in - lots of questions - how well do we know each other - what's being hidden - more secrets.  The audio was narrated by Erin Bennett.  She did a good job.  And I did like the story, though I guessed a lot - not quite all though.

I liked the characters that Jessica Strawser sets in this suburban Ohio neighborhood, the women, the kids, one of the men.  The wink at the preschool/charter school dynamics was funny and probably way too true - the gossip, the over-the-top requirements and 'rules'.  There was a lot of relationship talk - between the friends, the spouses, the individual women's families growing up, some of their sisters - all was believable to me.  The case of the woman who is gone, along with her kids, is investigated and then becomes cold.  It's hard to know if foul play is involved - possibly.  Eventually, there are a few real surprises.  And answers.  I was satisfied.  And, yes, I'll be reading this author's next book, which will come out in the spring. 

Blurb:

When a group of neighborhood women gathers, wine in hand, around a fire pit where their backyards meet one Saturday night, most of them are just ecstatic to have discovered that their baby monitors reach that far. It’s a rare kid-free night, and they’re giddy with it. They drink too much, and the conversation turns personal.

By Monday morning, one of them is gone.

Everyone knows something about everyone else in the quirky small Ohio town of Yellow Springs, but no one can make sense of the disappearance. Kristin was a sociable twin mom, college administrator, and doctor’s wife who didn’t seem all that bothered by her impending divorce—and the investigation turns up more questions than answers, with her husband, Paul, at the center. For her closest neighbor, Clara, the incident triggers memories she thought she’d put behind her—and when she’s unable to extract herself from the widening circle of scrutiny, her own suspicions quickly grow. But the neighborhood’s newest addition, Izzy, is determined not to jump to any conclusions—especially since she’s dealing with a crisis of her own.

As the police investigation goes from a media circus to a cold case, the neighbors are forced to reexamine what’s going on behind their own closed doors—and to ask how well anyone really knows anyone else.