Stunning, eerie, and definitely a roller coaster of a book. This book had me cringing and I had to put it down several times due to the content, but it was well worth the read!

”The teacher wonders but she
Doesn't ask
It's hard to see the pain
Behind the mask
Bearing the burden
Of a secret storm
Sometimes she wishes she was
Never born

“Through the wind and the rain
She stands hard as a stone
In her world that she can rise above
But her dreams give her wings
And she flies to a place where
She's loved
Concrete angel”
-- Concrete Angel, Martina McBride, Songwriters: Rob Crosby / Stephanie Kay Bentley


And the rest is rust and stardust.
--LOLITA by Vladimir Nabokov

It’s June of 1948 in Camden, New Jersey as this story begins – a story that is a fictionalized account of the real kidnapping of then eleven year old Sally Horner, which inspired Nabokov to write / finish writing Lolita. School hasn’t yet paused for summer vacation, but soon, and Sally is trying to win acceptance with the girls from the nicer, prettier side of town. With this in mind, she nervously accepts a dare to steal something from Woolworth’s, only one man, Frank LaSalle, spots her slipping the composition notebook inside her sweater and he makes his way to her, informing her that he is an FBI agent, and she is to come along with him. He might find a way to help her out of this, but she must do as he says.

Sally’s mother is physically in poor health, plagued by aches and pains, and emotionally she hasn’t recovered from her second husband’s death, deemed a suicide. Her first husband, father to Sally and her sister, left when Sally was very young.

LaSalle, a known sex-offender with a preference for young girls, recently released from prison, meets up with Sally after school the next day, and with summer vacation now upon them, tells her that she is to ask her mother for permission to go to the shore, with her friend, otherwise, he’ll have to them her that he’s been ordered to deliver Sally to FBI headquarters. And so she ends up at Wildwood by the Sea, but it’s only the beginning of a much longer journey in time and travel for the two of them. Years will pass, and the girl that began this journey as a young, naïve girl will be changed forever.

This story is shared initially through Sally and her mother, Ella, but as the story progresses, more narrators enter into sharing a new side, a new view of the status of the case, how it is affecting her neighbor Ruth, who feels a need to protect her, Sister Mary Katherine who believes that there is something disturbingly wrong but has been told to stay out of it, her mother’s thoughts, her sister’s, her brother-in-law Al, who is her champion, never allowing them to forget or give up hope, always looking for new ways to keep her story in the public’s view.

I had wanted to read this because I had read T. Greenwood’s The Golden Hour and enjoyed that. Her ability to create a visual scene had impressed me, and I wasn’t disappointed in her ability to breathe life into Rust & Stardust. I did feel that it occasionally became a bit bogged down in mundane things, events that seemed to serve no purpose, and too many points-of-view, which should leave the reader feeling they have seen everything there is to see, but left me feeling too many of these were, essentially, irrelevant.

From Camden, New Jersey to Dallas, Texas, to San Jose, California, a long, harrowing journey that will forever change this young girl, whose story became every parent’s nightmare.




Pub Date: 07 AUG 2018


Many thanks for the ARC provided by St. Martin’s Press

Thought this was an amazing book So good. Enjoyed writing and characters and development so very much

Totally gripping book. I had no idea that this was based off a true story. As a true crime reader, I thought I had seen it all but this was a first to me. Ripped my heart out just a little bit for Sally despite the time that has elapsed. Fantastic book!

This book, although fiction, is based on the true-crime story of 11 year old Sally Horner and her kidnapper, Frank La Salle. Her kidnapping occurred in 1948 and the story inspired the controversial book Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov.

Going into this book, I didn't know a lot about the case of Sally Horner; I read one short article that briefly explained how she was kidnapped and the events that occurred over the next two years.

After a dare from a group of girls, Sally steals a notebook from a Woolsworth and then is stopped by a man on her way out. The man claims to be an FBI agent and tells her she is under arrest. She obviously doesn't know that this isn't an FBI agent, but is a convicted rapist who has just been released from prison. He tells her she will go to jail if she doesn't cooperate so she does as he tells her. After convincing Sally's mother that he is the father of a school friend who has asked Sally to join them on vacation, he kidnaps her. During the next two years, La Salle takes Sally across multiple state lines, from place to place and often refers to Sally as his daughter.

This book contains a lot of tough subjects, mainly child abuse in multiple forms and they can be even harder to read knowing that this is based on a true story. The book is told from multiple perspectives, including Sally's and member's of her family. The author fills in those two years with what might have happened, based on the research she did before writing the book. This book of course made me shake my head at things like Sally's mother allowing her to randomly go off with someone she didn't know. But then I had to stop and remember that this is 1948; child abductions didn't happen like they do today, people trusted their neighbors and they didn't lock their doors. Looking at how he managed to keep her for two years, I also had to remember that there was no internet or Amber Alerts at the time. But it was still hard to read. And the way the story ends, both in real life and in the book is fairly sad. It certainly made me think about how children definitely need to be educated about how to tell a real police officer from someone who is not. It also makes me want to read more about the real life case of Sally Horner.

Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin's Press, for sending me an ARC of this book.

Reading the description of this book, I was so hesitant about whether I did want to read it or not. on one hand it sounded so interesting, but on the other, I knew it would probably tear me up because of the fact that it was based on true events. Going into this book, right away I knew I really liked the writing. It was so easy for me to fall into the story, and then after a moment I realized just what that meant and I knew I was in for a world of pain. This was a dark book and heartbreaking. We go through this journey with Sally and I felt everything she felt and it was breaking me apart inside. This is a really hard book to like because of the content, but it's written so well that you can't help but like it. The author did an amazing job writing this book.

Rust & Stardust by T. Greenwood is a story about a little girl (Sally), that lifts a composition notebook from a store and is led to believe that the man who caught her was FBI and she is in serious trouble, this man is really a man that has been abducting and raping little girls and been in and out of prison for same, 2 years go by and this is Sally's story along with her family's story and the people that came to care and wonder/worry about her along the way. I had a hard time putting this book down, as hard as it is to read and the subject matter is hard but it is a very interesting and riveting book. Thank you Netgalley and the Publishers for allowing me to read this ARC book for giving my honest opinion. Than you also to the author:)

In 1848, eleven year old Sally Horner was kidnapped by a horrible pedophile named Frank La Salle. He was a recently released prisoner who had served time for sexual crimes against children. When he came across Sally at the Woolworth store, she was vulnerable and a prime target. La Salle was a conman who used fear and intimidation to keep Sally quite and under his control. Sally went with her kidnapper believing he was with the FBI. She was told by La Salle that she would be arrested and jailed if she did not go with him. Sally had stolen a notebook at the store on a dare from some girls at school. She was lonely and desperately wanted to be included in their club. La Salle frightened her so much she felt she had no other choice but to go along with his plan.
Rust and Stardust takes you into Sally’s world of horror and fear at the hands of this horrible man. Other chapters explore the heartache her mother, sister and brother-in-law went through as they tried to deal with their own fears for Sally and the inept police investigation into her kidnapping.
This story is also based on a true life kidnapping of a girl name Sally Horner. My heart broke for Sally while she was under the control of this horrible man. I found the book to be very interesting and at the same time unsettling. This book gets a definite five star review from me. I received an ARC from NetGalley. This review is my unbiased opinion.

This story captivated from the very first lines. It is easy to identify, empathize and lament with the characters as the story unravels. Could not put this one down.

I actually enjoyed reading Rust & Stardust. The book is disturbing, and the facts are unbelievable. An eleven year old girl shoplifts at Woolworth's in an attempt to join a clique. A man witnesses her actions, confronts her and pretends to be an FBI agent. The girl returns home, yet she willingly goes to meet the man again. She then makes up a story for her mother, and the mother actually hands her daughter over to the kidnapper. While it seems impossible to fathom a mother handing over her daughter to a kidnapper, the novel makes one understand how this could happen.


This novel is based on a true story from the 1940's. The overall story is based on fact, but many of the details are made up by the author. I loved some of Sally's interactions with other characters in the novel as they gave me hope that she would ultimately escape her captor. Greenwood creates a captivating story and helps us see how "stranger danger" came to be a necessary part of parenting. This is a story that all parents should read. While most children and parents would not fall for Frank's ruse today, kidnappings still happen. Even though children are now savvier so are the bad guys, so it is important to realize how easy it can be for an adult to deceive a child.

I wasn’t able to finish this title. The writing and the pace just didn’t capture my attention fast enough.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read Rust and Stardust, by T. Greenwood. This book is hard to put down. You just want to jump in and save little Sally from LaSalle, a disgusting, manipulative kidnapper of the worst kind. In 1948, in NJ, eleven year old Sally has shoplifted to gain admission into a club. A quiet, shy, loner of a girl, Sally, wants to be in this club more than anything, even if she has to break the law and disappoint her mom. Watching the initiation unfold, LaSalle capitalizes on Sally’s innocence and fear to whisk her away from her home. The next two years are full of fear, hate, abuse, and constantly moving around to avoid detection. Lolita, by Nabokov, was written based on this true account. The reader will never forget Sally Horner, a life cut short by the evil of mankind.

This harrowing tale of the 1948 kidnapping of 11-year-old Sally Horner by a pedophile is both riveting and disturbing, especially knowing it was based on real events. After extensively researching the abduction, the author used her imagination to write a fictionalized account of Sally's two-year ordeal with her captor and the impact her kidnapping had on those she left behind and encountered along the way. I started it yesterday afternoon and stayed up late to finish it.

Based on the true abduction and abuse of Sally Horner, this story weaves tragedy and fiction in equal measure. I was horrified and mesmerized by this story and was unable to put it down until I saw it to the conclusion. There were bright moments; characters like Lena, the Bearded Lady from the circus, and Ruth, Sally's shining beacon of hope in the form of red ribbons and haircuts. I don't want to give anything else away, but brace yourself before you read this story, and clutch your children a little tighter to your heart at every opportunity.

My only suggestion for the writer/publisher is to include a trigger warning at the start about child abuse and neglect.

'Rust and Stardust' manages to address a horrific true crime story with both sensitivity and honesty. It is artistic without hiding the horror behind a high brow literary style like Lolita does. The book is very easy to read and for that reason, a very difficult experience. A lot of horrifying real life incidents are tainted by the writer's own revulsions, making them difficult to read. But T.Greenwood somehow manages to tell Sally Horner's life without falling into pathos. Every character beyond Sally and LaSalle is given a say, their own fears and worries and consequences faced, fleshed out.

The story goes beyond the issue of child molestation to address poverty, mental health issues, parental neglect, childhood bullying and religious politics. It does all of these well, too. I found myself crying constantly in the five hours that it took me to read the book but I couldn't stop.

Thank you for writing this book because it was really needed - for Sally's sake and for the hundreds of children at risk every day.

This is the opposite of a spoiler: do not Google Sally Horner before or while reading this book. Let the story settle and sink in. Let it all happen to you. Anyone who follows my reviews knows that I love to do background while reading, so I did Google Sally. I still can't stop thinking about the story.

Rust & Stardust is powerful and affecting, but not for the faint of heart.

While the premise of this book was very intriguing, the writing style did not work for me. I will say, however, that the mother’s perspective (Ella) was well-thought and was one of the novel’s strengths. See my full review in my video. https://youtu.be/DUl0c2A5P8o

4.5 stars rounded up to 5*.

This was a book I would have read in one sitting if life and obligations hadn't gotten in my way.

Rust & Stardust is the second book by T. Greenwood that I've read and I had to go back and check what I'd rated the other title because it hadn't stayed with me. This story will not require follow-up. It haunts me.

Rust & Stardust is a novel based on the true kidnapping of 11-year old Sally Horner by 52-year old Frank LaSalle from Camden, New Jersey in 1948. It combines most of my favorite things: True Crime, Historical Fiction, beautifully evocative writing and a clear and memorable voice. I did not know that this kidnapping was the basis of the character depiction for "Lolita" in Nabokov's famous book of the same title. I also did know know much about this famous crime.

T. Greenwood masterfully depicts what everyday life might have been for Sally. She invents fully evolved characters to accompany her on what can only be described as a harrowing journey.

While not for everyone-this is a book I will gleefully recommend to "My People".

*ARC received from #netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A horrifying tragic story. Entertaining in it's disturbing way. I liked reading this book, but it felt a little bland. A little too long maybe. Nothing positive happens so it felt like a bit of a slog.

A very well researched piece of fictionialised history, which brings together the dramatic element of great story telling with the chilling horror of a real life crime.