While not a "true crime" this compelling work of historical fiction based on real people and events broke my heart in a million pieces. In 1948 when 11 year old Sally Horner was abducted and held captive for 21 horrific months, news did not travel so quickly then as it does today. There were no amber alerts to cell phones, no world wide web on which to upload pictures of the missing and their captors, no national sex crime registry in which to keep track of the location of known child molesters. So although some characters are the invention of the author it is all to easy to imagine the real Sally losing all hope as her captor is able to keep her in his control for nearly 2 years staying one step ahead of the police and running to another state every time they get a lead on what state she might be prisoner in. This must be only a glimpse into the true heartache and suffering of Sally and her family which the author so deftly brings to life.

I absolutely adored this book. It was gutwrenching to keep in mind that this was based on a true story. The amount of research the author clearly did on the subject is astounding. I'm a huge LOLITA fan, and this book added incredible nuance not only to the story of its subject character but to Nabokov's story as well. I also appreciated the author's care with regard to the sexual abuse elements. The way Greenwood merges the threads of Sally's story with the impact her kidnapping has on her family and people she encounters along the way is stunningly done, and so important for portraying the effects sexual assault and child abuse has on family members and loved ones. Sally's voice was also incredibly true to age and character, yet still so engaging and relatable for an adult reader.

Rust and Stardust is based on the true story of 11-year-old Sally Horner who was kidnapped in Camden, New Jersey in 1952 by 52-year-old Frank LaSalle, who was fresh out of prison.
Sally wasn’t like the other girls but, she wanted to join ‘the club’ to be with other girls her own age. So do so, she had to steal something from her local Woolworth Store. She stole a composition notebook. But as she was leaving the store, she is confronted by a man who claimed to be an FBI agent. The man, a convicted child abuser claimed if she didn’t do as she was told that she would face a judge and go to prison for stealing. Sally is so terrified she believes him. He manages to persuade her that she should lie to her mother, and say that she is going on holiday with her friend to the shore. As the family, has little or no money agrees to this and mother even walks to the bus stop with her to meet LaSalle.
The Story is told by Sally, her mother Ella and sister’s Susan POV. This is a tragic story, what atrocities that this girl had to go through in the hands of LaSalle. This story was beautifully written and so easy to read. Although in some parts it made me uncomfortable when Sally was describing what LaSalle was doing to her. It also made me wonder as this is based on a true story, that other people apart from Ruthie noticed what was going on. Maybe because things were different in them days. This was a beautiful but terrifying read.

Thank You Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for a copy of this ARC for an honest review.

“He touched her face, and her body stiffened”.
“Don’t worry about your mama, Sally. They’ll forget about you soon. It’ll be like you never was”.

Oh please.......the storytelling - *Fiction Scenarios* - we are asked to believe were so far fetched....I found myself hysterically laughing reading pages of this NOVEL to my husband. It was my gut reaction! I started this book with high hopes too—expecting first class reading as so many of my friends on the Goodreads train felt. But I just couldn’t buy the fiction choices picked to tell this story. Some parts were so far out in left field it spoiled the authenticity for me of the tragedy .
The true story itself and for all kids who are abducted - raped by monsters....is so devastating horrific —that the added fictional drama added took away from the genuine emotions of the real issue at hand.

This story is inspired by a real kidnapping of a girl named Sally Horner. I did some research myself on Sally Horner. The author got a few facts right — but the things she added were preposterous. Wikipedia was at least factual - leaving it at that. No needed cocktails to buzz the brain.

The writing — in my opinion - had a little warmth - but it was also dull and flat...journalistic style:
He said. She said. He did. She did. On Sunday morning this happened...On Monday morning ‘that’ happened...
“When she knocked on Sally’s door, she hoped it would be Sally who’d answer”.

Honestly.... I didn’t care much for this book - but I respect and appreciate that others do - have - and will.

Short chapters:
......voices by...Sally, Ella, Atlantic City, New Jersey, Susan, Sister Mary Katherine, Vivi, Sammy, Dallas,Texas, Ruth, Al, Lena, San Jose, California, Margaret.

The Author’s Notes at the end.....reporting that in 1948 Sally Horner was in headlines across the country. Vladimir Nabokov was struggling to write ‘Lolita’....( Sally Horner ‘his’ inspiration?)....
This book is authors imagination. She is at biographer not a true crime writer… a novelist.
Tammy Greenwood said, “her book is a work of fiction”.

WARNING: Abused (Physical and Mental), Kidnapping, Crime

This novel is a fictional telling of a real life story of the kidnapping of an 11-year old, Sally Horner, back in 1948. This crime also inspired Vladimir Nabokov to write LOLITA. Sally, due to peer pressure, stole a notebook from Woolworth's without knowing that she's being watched by a an ex-convict, 52-year old, Frank LaSalle. He convinced her he's an FBI and if she doesn't do what he says, he'll have her arrested.

And thus Sally was taken. And then the accounts of how she was physically and mentally abused by Frank, while moving from state to state, using fake names begun.

It took me a month to read this book but Definitely Not because it's an awful book. In fact, as my star-rating says, I liked this very much. Though it's true, I found this book really hard to read because the main plot centers on a very sensitive and heartbreaking issue and I think this isn't actually the kind of books I should be reading (I'm battling depression) but I couldn't help but request it when I saw it on Netgalley. I was intrigued and thank God I was intrigued.

I can't say, I love the characters because there's nothing lovable with the characters. Frank is, well evil. Sally, though I find her smart despite her naivety, there's no time loving her, only pity. The others, her family and friends, all I felt were disappointment but that's just me. And the people around Sally when she was already taken, those people who sensed something is wrong but didn't do enough to help her. I just hope they did more.

I also can't say I love the plot. Nope. I definitely don't love the plot. It's heartbreaking. Everytime I pick up my kindle to read, my heart break into pieces. It's heart-wrenching. Holy God, I'm always at the edge, biting my lip and silently screaming.

And then the writing...

This is my first book by T. Greenwood, so I didn't have any expectation. She did a fr**king good job, start from showing Sally's innocence and naivete, how she was so scared and worried believing she'll be arrested and all b*llsh*t Frank told her. This book tells more of what happened after the abduction and from that very first scene with Frank when he easily deceived her, my hopes already left me. I knew, I just knew, her life, her following days, would be horrifying. The author just know the right words to use, how to use them and why is she using them, and so the effect of this prose to a reader is simply magnificent. No doubt, this is one of my best reads this year. I mean, she made the characters, even the ones with their awful, heart-sinking qualities very believable, I felt so much. The narration is just amazing. And what a treat when at the end, this story of an awful turned into something inspiring. Something moving... Beautiful.

And though this must be one of the most disturbing books I've ever read, I still highly recommend it.

Rust & Stardust
Tammy Greenwood
I received this copy from NetGalley for an honest Review:
I'm not really sure where to begin with this review...First let me say that I am a huge fan of T. Greenwood, there isn't anything that she has written that I have not loved, this book included. This was a harder read for me; it dealt with loss - a loved (step)father, a mother wracked with pain, a sister living her own life. It dealt with the cruelty of young girls...let's face it, we all know how mean girls can be when they reach that certain age. It dealt with naïveté, with trust, with fear. Fear of consequences, of getting caught, of not measuring up. It dealt with trust, or rather the pain that mis-guided trust can cause you.

I Loved Sally Horner...I laughed with her, cried with her and was frightened with her. I love the way this story unfolds from every characters POV, showing us that there are no minor characters in fiction or, more importantly in our own lives.

It never ceases to amaze me that one incident, no matter how minor you may think it is can cause a whole lot of change in the world surrounding you. There is a lot of pain in this story, physical and emotional. There's hope though, sometimes it is fleeting but it is always there. There's kindness, from places we didn't expect it and there's evil lurking also if we aren't careful

I am the mother of two beautiful daughters, I can not imagine and really don't want to imagine how I would handle things if one of my own daughters went missing and/or was kidnapped...I don't think I could withstand the ache in my arms and my heart.

Thank you T. Greenwood for a moving and utterly satisfying, if not sadder, tale of fear, redemption, acceptance, kindness, motherhood , sisterhood, friendship, love, hate. I Loved this book.

I'm not sure where to start with this review. Those of you familiar with the story of Sally Horner aren't should be in familiar territory with her story. Others who have mentioned Lolita written by Vladimir Nabokov, are aware that that story was loosely based on this young girl.

T. Greenwood's Rust & Stardust is the harrowing, devastating story of Sally Horner who's only crime was having the naivety of a young child. The "mean girls", or fellow classmates, promise Sally a place in their group if she performs an initiating act of stealing a composition notebook from the local Woolworth. Just as sure as she's got the notebook hidden under her arm, a man stops her claiming to be an FBI agent.

He's no FBI agent.

He's not even a man. Things like him are monsters.

I'll spare the reader of this review with too much detail but ultimately, Sally is caught in a horrendous web with one of the most revolting monsters to ever walk the earth and I commend Greenwood for sparing us the details in this book. I was afraid of that when I was reading the book.

SO... why the three stars?

Much of this book is creative licensing and is done quite well. Due to the subject matter, I can't say I enjoyed the book, but the writing is good enough. And when I think it over... it was a little too meh. There is a character depth of the peripheral characters that could have been expounded on that would have made this an easy 4-star rating for me.

I understand that this novel was based on a true story and that you can't go too far out their with the creativity but golly... the close calls were infuriating. By close calls I mean in the novel, there were instances when the cops are soooooo close to catching this monster and bringing Sally home, yet, they fall short.

Maybe that's what's got me in a funk reading this. The fact that in '49 and '50 people were so damn trusting while this girl was being eaten alive on the inside. Her innocence chipped systematically chipping away. Because I don't want to spoil anything more than I already have, the whole thing just sucks. Not Rust & Stardust, but the real story behind and the aftermath just fucking sucks.

In conclusion, Greenwood does a good job at telling Sally Horner's story. I simply wish there was more. More character development would have made this a heck of a lot better read for me. All in all, Rust & Stardust is still a compelling read for those unfamiliar with Sally's story. I knew nothing of her story nor of Lolita before picking this up and was sucked in by the story. That may have been my one advantage. Either way, my heart breaks for all the Sally Horner's of the world and can't wait until this sickening depravity is a thing of the past.

Copy provided by St. Martin's Press via Netgalley

I did not have any previous knowledge of the Sally Horner case until I was given the opportunity to read this. This was a very well-written and researched story. It's the first: based on a true story, book I actually enjoyed which was told from multiple POV's. Greenwood did an excellent at retelling this story.

Rust & Stardust, guys, this one was HARD.

This is not an easy book to read, I found myself having to read in small increments, but I had to keep reading, because I had to know how it ended for little Sally. This is a beautifully written novel, but the subject matter is tough. Major props to T. Greenwood for taking such a difficult story and making it flow beautifully.

Bust & Stardust is based on the kidnapping of 11 year-old Sally Horner, a young girl, who like many others, just wanted to fit in with a group of girls, so she accepts a dare to to steal an item from the local Woolworth's. Sally manages to steal a notebook, but she is caught by Frank LaSalle, an ex-convict pretending to be an FBI agent. In order to avoid going to prison, Sally must listen to Frank and do as he says, and so Sally is whisked across the country for two years. Two years! Two years of Sally being manipulated and assaulted physically, mentally, and emotionally. Two years of Sally's family having to deal with her absence.

A huge thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's press for providing me with this advanced copy to read!

This is the true story of Sally Horner.
This book was eye opening & heartbreakingingly sad. Many times I could not bring myself to beleive it was a true story- but it is.
This book was so compelling & detailed that I finished it in one sitting, pausing many times to take it all in.
If you are a parent this is a tough read but read it, you must.

I both wanted to read this book and NOT read it. Ultimately I'm glad I did for one specific reason...the next time I encounter a fan of the book Lolita, I would love the chance to inform the fan that it's likely based on a real person--a person who wasn't coy and loving all of the attention she was receiving from her suitor (look up pictures of Frank LaSalle. So creepy.) Her story is an awful one. So could we stop with all the "Lolita is an erotic masterpiece" B.S. already?

I appreciate the way the author handled the graphic nature of this story. The rapes are not described in detail. In many cases they are referred to using the same vague embarrassed terms an 11 year old girl would use. Also the book is nearly entirely filled with the viewpoint of various women (including Sally). In other words, this "Lolita" may not have had any sense of agency during any point in her abduction, but she is granted one in this narrative.

There is one aspect that makes this a challenging read, from a technical standpoint (which I hesitate to even mention seeing as this is based on a true event). Nearly the entire book consists of describing the same pattern--they get settled somewhere and life there is pretty awful, they meet other people, one of those other people gets suspicious/too close, they move. As a reader, you're left stuck reading about the same ugly situation over and over. But I suppose Sally was stuck in it as well, so perhaps that's the point. You can only introduce so many colorful side characters, the fact remains that she was abused over and over for years. Ultimately even with the repetition, the book moves very quickly and is engaging. I was able to finish it in an evening.

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the story of Sally Horner, the real-life girl who the book Lolita was based on, and it's a really difficult book to read. Not necessarily due to the writing style (which I found to be half compelling and half juvenile), but due to the subject matter. Sally was kidnapped and repeatedly raped for almost 2 years. She was only 11 at the time of her kidnapping. While the book (thankfully) doesn't go into graphic detail, you're always very aware of what's happening, and the writer does a good job of making you feel Sally's anguish. The author is at her strongest when telling the story from Sally's point of view, as well as her mother and sister. I didn't care for some of the minor characters' points of view. I felt that some of them were unnecessary, but I also understand why the author wanted to include them. Overall it was a fascinatingly sad read.

Loved this book. Didn’t want it to end. Highly recommend.

Love love love. Incredible book. Fabulous book club pick too

A harrowing re-imagining of Sally Horner’s life; one which will live on in my head for weeks to come, I believe.

Rust & Stardust is based on the real-life kidnapping of Sally Horner. The same incident also inspired Nabokov's Lolita.

After being dared by a group of friends to steal a notebook from Woolworth's, Sally is stopped by Frank LaSalle. Posing as an FBI agent, Sally is convinced to go with him for fear of arrest. The rest of the story follows them as they travel across the country for two years posing as father and daughter. Frank seems to be one step ahead of nearly everyone along the way, moving on when people begin to question too much.

This novel is disturbing and painful to read, yet it is also poignant and thoughtful. Kudos to the author for tackling the heart-breaking subject matter in an honest, yet considerate manner.

Now I need to go read Lolita...!

That was a heartbreaking, disturbing, but amazing book.It is definitely not for everyone, the book follows the story of Florence "Sally" Horner and her kidnapping by Frank Lasalle, the story that inspired Nabokov's Lolita. I am geniunely lost for words, just want to say that my heart was broken over and over during reading this book.

I had no idea that Lolita was true. This is a disturbing book and I truly felt horrible for the child and the child's family. While the book was well-written, I think it was a bit too long and could have been condensed.

This novel sheds light on the real life 1948 kid napping of Sally Horner, a sweet, innocent 11 year old girl.

Desperately wanting to fit in with a group of girls from school, Sally agrees to steal something from Woolworth’s department store. The initiation doesn’t go as planned because on her way out of the store with a notebook, Sally is apprehended by an FBI agent.

The agent tells her that he is going to take her to court and that she is lucky to have been apprehended by him because he isn’t going to send her immediately to jail. He requests that she meet him the next day, and on her way home from school her heart stops when she sees the FBI agent waiting.

He tells her she will need to go to Atlantic City for her court date and instructs Sally to lie to her mom, claiming instead she will be on holiday with a friend’s family. The ruse is ostensibly to keep her mom from finding out about her shoplifting but the truth soon reveals itself to Sally as much worse.

The man is revealed, slowly, painfully for Sally as not who he claimed to be. Not with the FBI at all, Frank is a monster who violates Sally on top of the lies made more raw by the trickery.

The book follows Sally’s discovery and journey back home to her family and digs in to the possible thought process of all involved.

Despite being familiar with the story of Lolita—from which this episode was based—the novel takes the reader several layers below. It is a heartbreaking novel about innocence lost and the strength of Sally to triumph over her captor.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s pr as for the eARC in exchange for honest review.

Rust and Stardust tells the story of a child's abduction from many points of view, including the child's point of view. The positive is that it gives voice to Sally Horton's two year ordeal. The negative, and this is huge for me, is that reading about a child's abduction by a sexual predator is an awful topic. I have to admit, though, that Rust and Stardust made me think. I have been thinking about all the times people thought something wasn't quite right with Sally and her 'father's relationship, yet they hesitated to interfere. Is that reflective of the time? Would people be more likely to intervene on Sally's behalf today?

What a gorgeous novel. I don't know if I was prepared for it. Sally Horner's story was one I was familiar with only in passing--I'd read Lolita, I'd heard the name and of her kidnapping. T. Greenwood gets into the head of Sally Horner and gives her breath. I couldn't put it down, even when I wanted to, knowing it was going to break my heart.

Greenwood's prose is gorgeous, as is her pacing and characterization. Even though this is Sally's story, there are others who help tell it, and I love the cast that she introduces (some based on real life, others imagined). Sally's family feels real, as do their joys, their sorrows, and their reactions.

I can't recommend this book enough. This was my first T. Greenwood novel, but it won't be the last.