Why She Left - Thriller Suspense Novel - Book Review

Why She Left - Thriller Suspense Novel - Book Review by Laura Jay, Book Club Reporter. Why She Left -  author is Leah Mercer.  Why She Left drew me in right from the beginning. I thoroughly enjoyed this unique mystery-thriller! I look forward to reading more from the author, Leah Mercer.

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Commissions Earned: https://amzn.to/3cxieVd

Chapters

• 0:00 Tempo: 120.0

Transcript

Why She Left - Thriller Suspense Novel Book Review

00:01

Music Intro

Greeting

Hello gentle readers. Welcome to Book Club Reporter Book Reviews Podcast. I’m your host and Book Club Reporter, Laura Jay. 

00:12

This is Season 3 - Episode 18                                                         

00:18

Today I am sharing with you my Book Club Reporter book review of the thriller novel:  Why She Left. This story, by Leah Mercer, is tragic and moving, so hang in there, and don’t go away.

00:34

And before we get started be sure to read all my book reviews, book news, book club reading lists and more at bookclubreporter.com and now you can find additional book reviews by me on BookPraises.com. And you can also follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. 

00:54

Today’s podcast episode is about the 2021 thriller novel, Why She Left. I have to say that Why She Left grabbed me right from the start. There is nothing like a sadly dysfunctional family to grab my heart.

01:09

And before I tell you more from my book review, I would like to first, go over the publisher’s book description of Why She Left. The publisher’s book description is first thing I, and many others read, when deciding whether or not to purchase and read a book. I will speed that process along for you by providing that information here and now.

1:31

Publisher Book Description

The publisher describes Why She Left as follows: When I open the door and see her, my mind starts churning. Why are they here? What do they want? And why did my daughter leave in the first place? Am I finally, after all of these years, going to find out? I take a deep breath and usher them in…

Ruth has spent every day of the last fifteen years wondering why her daughter Isobel left. Walking around the school to which she has given her life, every child she sees reminds her of her family’s bright future which vanished in an instant.

So when Ruth opens the door to find Isobel and a teenage grandson she never knew existed, she feels a rush of relief. Despite the years of hurt she never stopped loving Isobel and wants to help rebuild her life. Enrolling her grandson at the school, Ruth wants to make sure they stay for good.

Isobel has spent her life running from a painful secret. A secret which would have destroyed her family. Now, as she flees a bad relationship, she knows that her childhood home is the only place where she can be safe.

That concludes the Publisher’s Book Description and I will stop here to tell you a little about the author of Why She Left, Leah Mercer.

3:00

About The Author

Leah can’t remember a time when she didn’t love writing. From creating fake newspapers to writing letters to the editor, scribbling something was always on the agenda. Even the rejections she received after completing her first novel at age 13 didn’t dent her enthusiasm. 

All I can say is: “You go, girl!”

So it makes sense, then, that she pursued a career in anything but writing. Public relations, teaching, recruitment, editing medical journals — even a stint painting houses — until she finally succumbed once more to the lure of the blank page.

When she’s not being jumped on by her young son or burning supper while thinking of plotlines, Leah can be found furiously tapping away on her laptop, trying not to check Twitter or Facebook.

Leah also writes romantic comedies under the name Talli Roland.

04:00

Book Review – Why She Left

Okay, right now I invite you to relax and enjoy my book review of: Why She Left. 

I would describe Why She Left as a domestic thriller novel.  And in many ways Why She left is also a heartrending and suspenseful mystery story. Ruth owns and operates a distinguished private school … and with a stellar reputation as such schools go. “The Square,” as the school is known, is the greatest priority in Ruth’s life. And while that may sound like a good thing, I believe it is also accurate to say, Ruth sets the Square above all else. And … sadly that seems to be above her family as well.

In this domestic mystery thriller novel - Why She Left,  Ruth’s daughters Cecily and Isobel, both attended The Square. However, when Isobel was just a teenager, she abruptly left the school …  And she left home as well. Fifteen years later, the family still does not know why Isobel left.

This gripping story chronicles the lives of Ruth and her two daughters, Cecily and Isobel. Over the years, the family ties have been strained. Now, it seems clear everything is about to come to a head. 

While Ruth holds all the business power, Cecily has been working at the school for several years. Cecily dreams of someone day running the school on her own.  However, the school is in a state of disrepair and Ruth realizes there is not enough money to bring the school building up to snuff. Ruth now finds herself having to entertain an offer from an investment company to assist with the financial needs of the school. 

As the successful matriarch of her family and domineering head of “The Square,” Ruth is determined to keep the possibility of a contract with the investment company a secret from Cecily and the rest of the family. 

There is so much more to this moving and emotional page-turner thriller-novel - Why She Left. Secrets with the power to humiliate and destroy lives, are being held with ignorance, and a failure to foresee a terrible fallout … such as a possible unveiling of a horrendous mystery. 

Thriller novel - Why She Left drew me in right from the beginning. I thoroughly enjoyed this unique mystery-thriller! I look forward to reading more from the author, Leah Mercer.

06:42

More Information

Thank you all for joining me today for this Book Club Reporter book review. If you would like more info about today’s book review, or a copy of the book, check the show notes for this podcast episode, or simply visit BookClubReporter.com. 

06:59

Appreciation and Donation Information

As always, I very much appreciate you all stopping by and listening to my feelings about the books I read. 

I hope you have enjoyed this book review podcast episode and my book club reporter podcast show. And if you did, feel free to buy me a cup of coffee. Just click the Buy Me a Coffee link in the show notes of this podcast.

And I want to be sure to let my listeners know, I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

In plain English, that means if you click on a product link in my podcast show notes, and purchase a product via that product link, I may earn a small fee. For example: If you click the product link, but instead of purchasing the related product, you instead purchase a new comfy bed for your precious pet or some other product, I may still earn a small fee. 

That being said, I would just like to say here that I don’t have a fancy podcast studio or any super expensive equipment. I created this podcast so I could tell everyone about the books I loved reading. 

08:15

Thank You/Music Outro

I am always working toward being able to afford better equipment to improve the quality of this podcast show for my podcast listeners. So, if you do decide to buy me a cup of coffee, via the link in the podcast notes. I thank you so much in advance for your kindness, I very much appreciate you. 

08:34

Sign off

See you all next time.