It was a small business that should have succeeded. The Yoo family, Korean immigrants, have a hyperbaric chamber housed in an old submarine. Individuals can go in for an hour long treatment to breathe increased oxygen. The treatment has been suggested for everything from Lyme disease to infertility to autism treatment. But something went horribly wrong and a fire trapped the patients inside the chamber. A mother of five and an eight year old boy are killed, burned alive. The immigrant father is left paralyzed and his teenage daughter is left scarred and in a coma for several months.

What really happened? A year later, a murder trial is being held. Elizabeth, the mother of the child who was killed, is on trial. The prosecution believes she killed her child to escape the life of a mother with a disabled child. But was it her? There are secrets belonging to almost everyone there that day and even some no one knew were there. Was the fire to hide an affair? Was it to collect an insurance payment of more than a million dollars? Was it a different mother who couldn't face their child's disability? Was it done in anger over a marriage that isn't working out?

This is a debut novel and it has garnered lots of praise. It won the Edgar Award for Debut Novel and is recommended by many prominent names in the mystery/thriller genre. The plot twists and turns and the reader is convinced over and over that they know who it is as it turns out that everyone there had a reason to start the fire that ended so tragically. The author has intimate knowledge of much of the book's subjects. She is from a Korean-American family and was a former trial attorney. Readers will be entertained and left interested in seeing what this author will do next.

Outstanding. I particularly loved Young Yoo's character arc. This is one to reread to explore its depths.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for a copy of the ARC.

What an interesting, complicated story. Though I thought it ended up being pretty predictable, it was intriguing and kept me reading with some good twists along the way.

I hate to admit, but this was a DNF for me around 60%. This book for many reasons just didnt connect with me, but I am very grateful for the opportunity to at least try.

I read this book in one sitting, and I don't know why I waited so long to pick this one up. I really don't know what to say about this one, I was heartbroken after reading this. It's such a sad literary mystery with some interesting, flawed characters. It's really well done, the subject is not an easy one, but you will fly through this one because you just want to know what happens.

This was such a satisfying legal thriller. This is an emotional read and one that will make you think. I thought the court room scenes were executed perfectly and were by far my favorite parts of the book. I would recommend this book to anyone that wants to be lost in the pages for a spell.

A compelling legal thriller, full of twists and complicated guilt. The story was gripping and I was glued to the page. However, I wish, like other readers, Kim said more about the danger of so-called autism “treatments,” like drinking bleach. These “treatments” are real and kill autistic people regularly and more explicit condemnation could have been educating and important. Couple this book with some research and you have an important and engaging piece of writing. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #netgalley

This was difficult to get through..in a good way? I just felt like screaming the whole time. Big emotional impact. Everything about this story was so hard and heartbreaking. Whoa. Angie Kim is a gifted writer and storyteller, definitely recommend if you can handle the topics in this story.

Miracle Creek has a very intriguing storyline. It is refreshingly different from other suspenseful books. Angie Kim spins a tale with characters that will keep you guessing how this story will end.

Thank you to NetGalley for the free copy, in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded down because it seemed to peter out a bit towards the end. This book started out amazing; I was totally enthralled with the courtroom drama. However, I figured it out about 1/3 of the way through (no shade to Angie Kim, I'm just amazing I guess) and the drama itself seemed to just dragged out as a ploy to throw you off...oh you think this character did it, well guess what!? this other character also has a secret! All that being said, I coudn't put this down and it has given me some major food for thought about motherhood, immigration, children on the autism spectrum, how terrible white guys are, and the legal system. Would recommend.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to more of Kim's work!

This novel isn't quite the legal thriller that I anticipated. It was better. The plot centers around an explosion that occurred at a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, Miracle Creek, about a year ago. The reader is privy to the point of view of several of the characters as they progress through the trial and reflect back on the events that led up to the main event. The characters are complicated and incredibly flawed. The story will keep you guessing up until the end. This is all around an excellent novel and I look forward to reading more of Kim's work.

Miracle Creek unfolds from the perspective of many complicated characters. This stunning story is a beautiful portrayal of family, sacrifices and the lengths we go to protect the ones we love. I loved the character development and the way that I started to like or dislike each character more as the layers were peeled back throughout the book. A touch of heartbreak with a dash of hopefulness, I really loved Miracle Creek.

I loved this book. An expertly crafted courtroom drama woven throughout some deeply troubling and complex character studies. Absolutely incredible.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately, I have tried reading this book on 2 separate occasions and during that 2nd attempt, I have only managed to make it halfway through so I’d rather stop here and state that this book just wasn't for me.

Miracle Creek by Angie Kim is a 2019 Sarah Crichton Books publication.

Fantastic! Lived up to the hype

Everyone knows I love a good courtroom drama, so this book was highly recommended to me by some of my GRs peers. But, try as I might, the book just wasn’t calling out to me when it was first released. So, I waited for the right mood, and I think my instincts paid off this time.

In a small Virginia town, a Korean couple sets up a Hyperbaric chamber on their land, which draws a group of eclectic people, all hoping to find relief from conditions ranging from autism to infertility. However, some people are adamantly opposed to this controversial treatment for children with autism, and have begun protesting.

Then, a tragic explosion leaves two people dead, and severely injures several others, leaving many lingering questions behind.

Was it an accident or was it deliberate? Was it one of the protestors or a member of the group participating in the chamber treatment?

As the investigation proceeds, the mother of an autistic boy is singled out as the prime suspect. Did she, with malice aforethought, set out to murder her own child? There is strong circumstantial evidence that she did, but as the trial begins, the situation leading up to the explosion is revealed, exposing a plethora of secrets, cover-ups, lies, and agonizing guilt, providing more than ample reasonable doubt in the reader's mind. Is the right person on trial?

The premise of this book is a bit unusual, at least in the beginning. I have heard of the hyperbaric chamber, or something like it, probably from some medical drama on television, but I didn’t know its official name or what all it was used for.

Apparently, it is used for numerous health issues ranging from anemia to vision loss, but is questionable when it comes to certain other conditions. Interesting. I learn something new every time I read a book!

The downside, of course, was the uptick in the number of characters I had to keep track of. Again, I found myself reading slower to make sure I was understanding everything that was going on. I listened to portions of this book on audio as well, and thought it was very well done considering the amount of characters involved.

It feels like I have been waiting for decades for a riveting courtroom drama. The well is so dry, I soaked this one up like a sponge! As popular as this book became, I hoped it would prompt a legal thriller comeback- just so long as it didn’t turn into a ‘trend’ or oversaturation. (Doesn’t anyone know how to practice moderation?)

However, this story goes much deeper than the murder trial. It also takes a hard look at what it means to be a parent- the desire to shelter and protect our children and the strong urge to give them a better life and a brighter future, providing them with the best advantages possible. Yet, the moral example one sets is equally important, as well as instilling a strong level of accountability, from both parent and child, building true character.

Parenting is difficult under the best of circumstances, but raising a child with special needs is an all- consuming effort, the challenges constant, and this novel provides some very realistic examples of that, measuring the exhausting toll it can take on even the most resilient and dedicated parents.

Overall, this is a well-rounded novel that could just as easily have relied on one dimension of the story- the trial,or the behind the scenes drama that revealed all those stunning secrets and resentments. To have adeptly combined the two aspects of the story, with balance, and near perfect pacing, is what really made this novel stand out.

Obviously, I am very impressed with this debut novel. Can’t wait to see what Angie Kim comes up with next.

I'm not much of a thriller person, but this suspense/court room drama cleverly discusses the immigrant experience and what it means to raise a special needs child, so this debut novel ends up being interesting for multiple reasons and appealing to different audiences. The novel starts with a fire in a chamber for hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) which kills a mother and an autistic kid and injures other occupants as well as people outside the facility - cut to one year later: Did Elizabeth, the mother of the deceased child, really set the fire in order to get rid of her special needs son, as the prosecutor tries to prove? The story unfolds day by day over the course of the trial and provides numerous viewpoints, twists as well as flashbacks to the events the court aims to reconstruct.

What appealed to me most was how Kim slowly elaborates on the individual stories of the people involved in and affected by the fire: The HBOT-business is run by a Korean immigrant family, the Yoos, who is facing various struggles in their chosen home; five of the people in the chamber were special needs kids with mothers who try to do what's best for their children - but how much treatment is too much? What about neurodiversity? And who do these mums talk to when their responsibilities start to become too much, when they feel sad and angry and overwhelmed, but there's clearly a stigma attached to that?; and then there's the doctor whose marriage is under duress because he and his wife can't conceive a child.

This is Angie Kim's debut novel - she is a Korean-born lawyer who came to the States as a preteen (like the child of the Yoos), so she writes what she knows, which gives the story a degree of authenticity. Still, some twists seem a little contrived, but that's not much of an issue as the intended effect is served: It's hard to foretell who the arsonist was and why he/she did it. On the way to this revelation, we learn a lot about the life of the Korean immigrant community and the struggles of women who take care of kids who need special care.

This book is super readable and shines with emotional intelligence - the way Kim draws her characters is what really impressed me here. This is a popular thriller that dares to tackle complex societal issues - I'm curious what Angie Kim will write next.

It took me a long time to get ‘into’ this novel, mostly because I didn’t find many of the characters sympathetic or likeable. However by the end I was racing through it, looking forward to seeing how all the stories tied together.

I really liked Kim’s use of multiple narrators to tell the story of the explosion of ‘Miracle Submarine’ through the murder trial of the mother accused of having caused it. The different perspectives worked well to reveal the truth, but also fitted the story and themes - each character had different views on parenthood, disability and personal responsibility.

I think this will be a great book to discuss in my book group!

A fascinating story about a family that owns a facility that offers treatments via hyperbaric chambers for those suffering with autism and other conditions. It is also about the parents of those children, their relationships with their children and each other.

The parents get to know each other well, and jealousies and resentments arise over the course of the story. The drama among the characters becomes second in importance to a horrendous event that occurs near the end of the book, affecting everyone.

I enjoyed this book almost completely, as it was interesting and different from anything else I've read, but I was unable to give it 5 stars based on a serious sexual situation that I felt was treated too lightly.

Other than that situation, the book was a great read and I recommend it.

(ARC Received from Netgalley)

Pak Yoo runs the “Miracle Submarine”, a medical treatment which simulates scuba diving. It’s thought that the exposure to oxygen has healing benefits. But then there is a tragic accident during one of the sessions. The rest of the book deals with the aftermath, taking place during the trial and trying to determine what exactly happened to cause the accident and why.

I don’t remember what first drew me to this book, but I was quickly engrossed in it. It was a genuine pleasure to read, following the twists and turns of the story. I admire how it deals with difficult subjects, especially its portrayal of motherhood; “I wish more moms would talk like this. We need to tell each other the ugly stuff, the stuff we’re ashamed of.“

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in stories about family connections and the secrets we keep from one another.

A riveting courtroom story that deals with parental guilt, attempts to provide a better life for your children and how that can twist your moral compass.

The characters are given life by having the viewpoint switch between characters frequently, although this can sometimes end up in the story becoming a bit muddled. Much like in real-life court situations, the witnesses do not always agree on what happened in the exact same instance; their personal opinion/bias always bleeds in a little (or a lot in some cases).