This is the first book I've read by this author, and it served as a fantastic introduction. I found it mostly very enjoyable. Although there were a number of characters to track, there were also some great plot twists and a unique storyline. I'm excited to see what the author produces next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Living Springs Publishers for providing me with an ARC of this novel for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Really enjoyed this storyline. Keeps you guessing then plot twists. A thrilling book that will have you guessing.

"Whatever Happened to Cathy Martin" is a thought-provoking novel that combines elements of mystery and drama. The story unfolds through the eyes of multiple characters, each with a unique perspective on the titular character's disappearance.
One of the book's strengths is its well-crafted character development. The author delves deep into the emotions, motivations, and secrets of the cast, making them feel real and relatable. This depth adds complexity to the narrative, keeping readers engaged.
But the novel's intricate narrative structure can be a double-edged sword. While it offers diverse viewpoints, it also risks confusing readers as they navigate multiple voices and timelines. Some may find this complexity challenging to follow, affecting the overall readability.
The plot is both intriguing and unpredictable, with unexpected twists that keep the reader guessing. Yet, the pacing occasionally lags, and some subplots seem underdeveloped. This can lead to moments of frustration for those seeking a more streamlined storyline.
All in all, "Whatever Happened to Cathy Martin" is a novel that excels in character development and plot twists. However, its intricate narrative structure and pacing issues may not be to everyone's taste. Those who enjoy complex, multi-perspective mysteries may find it a rewarding read, while others might prefer a more straightforward storytelling approach.

I tried to get into this several times. The plot seemed right up my alley. Unfortunately for me it seemed slow and I didn't think about it when I wasn't reading. I really wanted to like this one!

A cleverly crafted plot and well written. Haunting.
Many thanks to Living Springs Publishers and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I liked the book especially since it mostly took place in south central Indiana so I knew a lot of the places mentioned. I really liked the multiple twists and man did I love the karma that came around to some of the characters. I liked that it took place in the late 1970s but they really shouldn’t have mentioned dna identification at one point, since it wasn’t true to the era. I would have liked to have more of Tom’s true situation fleshed out. An agent? Of what? Really liked the book overall though.

This is the first book I've read by this author, and what a wonderful introduction it was. I found it thoroughly enjoyable for the most part. There were quite a few characters to keep up with, but aside from that there were some good plot twists and an original narrative. I look forward to reading what the author comes out with next.

Something different from my usual reading - a gothic Midwest thriller set in southern Indiana.

Really enjoyed this book, with fun twists (had a hunch about them, and they were right!) - thrilling & enjoyable book!

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC copy

It's 1978 & Denise works as a copy editor at a newspaper & is unhappily married to Hank. Hank is a blatant philanderer with one of his work colleagues, & although they are going to couples' counselling, their marriage is is trouble. They are invited to the wedding celebration of Hank's boss & there Denise is surprised to see that the bride is Janet Lynn Webster, the girl who broke up her friendship with childhood BFF, Cathy Martin all those years ago. When she enquires about Cathy, Janet tells her that Cathy ran off with Janet's first college boyfriend & they haven't spoken since. Throughout their chat, Denise gets the feeling that Janet is angling for some information but can't work out what. After the wedding, Denise decides to track Cathy down but is not in the least prepared for what she will find.

Taking in a wide-ranging plot incorporating a trail of bodies & a missing Nazi, this is an intriguing read. It's not exactly gripping as, at times, it seems to move quite slowly, but I was interested enough to find out what had happened. Denise is an OK main character but she makes some typically stupid decisions, whilst everyone else is more or less peripheral. Hank is particularly loathsome & I cannot for the life of me work out why Denise would want to stay married to him. Bonus points for name-checking one of my favourite films of all time: Charade starring Cary Grant & Audrey Hepburn. In fact, the main male character in this book was very much like Grant's character in Charade, morally grey & it's difficult to work out which side he is actually on. The plot meandered on nicely but it become rather unbelievable towards the end. 3.5 stars (rounded up)

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Living Springs Publishers (IBPA), for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Whatever Happened to Cathy Martin is a twisted story that begins with a man in prison stealing and then crushing apple seeds to make poison after which he escapes prison. Then we pickup with Denise Prescott. Married to Hank a serial lying adulterer among many of his faults to numerous to list. They are in couples therapy, but I have no idea why, Denise seems to go to satisfy Hank but he has no intention of changing his ways. Denise and Hank are invited to an engagement party for Hank's boss. Oddly enough Denise thinks she recognizes the bride-to-be as Janet Lynn, from her old high school. As she talks to Janet Lynn, another name comes up, Cathy Martin. Denise thinks about her time in school and her once friendship with Cathy Martin. Unfortunately, Cathy dropped Denise like many kids do at that age for Janet Lynn in high school. Denise lost track of Cathy and Janet Lynn says what she remembers as to Cathy. The whole conversation is odd and Denise will be curious about Cathy.

The next day, Denise still can't stop thinking of Cathy and starts to research Cathy. She pulls threads and many people are in danger as a result. Denise will have a hard time giving up the search for the truth but will have a hard time deciding who she can trust. Eventually the truth is tied back to the beginning of the book for surprising conclusion.

The story has an interesting premise, who hasn't asked about someone they have seen in a long time. That's what sparks this story to an exciting conclusion. It does drag a bit in some places and some of the dialog is odd, but I guess that goes to the specific character development.

It was rather exhausting trying to keep everything sorted. The plot was all over the map and convoluted.
I never got a good grasp on who Denise was as a character. I wasn’t impressed with her.
What I did like were all the Midwest locations and mentions. I liked all the tv and movie references.
Tom mentions DNA evidence, which is a faux pas since this takes place in 1978 and DNA evidence wasn’t tested then.

Thank you to the author, Living Springs Publishers and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This thriller set in a bleak part of the Midwest starts off strong, but quickly devolves into one hot mess - anything you can think of, the author threw it into the mix. The pacing is slow, the extraneous details and verbiage are grating, the tone very uneven and the effort to tie in all the disparate threads exhausting. I realize I am an outlier, and there are certainly enough people who enjoyed this book very much - that was the exact opposite of my experience.

When Denise meets Lynn, a vaguely familiar schoolmate, at a party, their only real link is Cathy Martin a mutual friend, unheard from for ten years. It is Lynn’s engagement party so she quickly moves on to other guests, but Denise starts to wonder about Cathy. They were almost inseparable as children while living in rural Nashville, Indiana (population about 800) but Cathy had basically dumped her for Lynn when they started at the nearest High School in Columbus about 20 miles away. They had totally lost touch when Cathy and Lynn had gone to University in Whitewater Wisconsin, while Denise had gone to the local Franklin College to study journalism. Now working as a copy editor in Indianapolis, Denis has access to information sources so starts to investigate, discovering that Cathy had never enrolled at Whitewater, and was rumoured to have become pregnant, got married and disappeared. With the help of a colleague and a mysterious detective she starts to unravel the mystery, exposing herself to life-threatening risks as her childhood knowledge of Cathy becomes a target for someone who cannot afford to have secrets exposed.
That preamble sets up the story but the plot is so interwoven, contains so many threads, that it is difficult to single out any enticing hint without the whole tapestry becoming unravelled. The underlying premise is quite well concealed so the twists are hard to anticipate and the resolution is surprising, but deducible and logical. Where the book is less strong is in the characterisation; it is hard to believe that Denise is so credulous most of the time, so capricious, even flighty, on other occasions, so determined yet so uncertain. The other characters are fairly stock, but verge on caricature. As a mystery story, it works well although some of the actions are a bit contrived; as a murder story it is uncertain for a long time that anyone has been murdered; as a thriller it has its moments although it keeps dropping the tension. The plot, shorn of personalities, is original enough for me to be looking at 4.5 but some of the anomalies pull me towards 3. Rounding gives 4.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

This story about three women who grew up in the same town is full of twists and turns, but I didn’t really like it. It took me two weeks to get through it because I got a book on Libby and had to come back to it, but it was easy for me to put it down and I wasn’t really excited about finishing it. Many years after high school, Denise Prescott crosses paths with fellow high school classmate Janet Lynn Webster at Janet Lynn’s engagement party. Denise had been close friends with Cathy Martin before high school but Cathy basically dumped her to be friends with Janet Lynn. As Denise starts trying to track down Cathy Martin, she comes up with a theory about where she might be today. If you’re a fan of Hitchcock movies and Sherlock Holmes, this book is filled with quotes and anecdotes. It just wasn’t for me and I can’t recommend it. Thanks to #netgalley and #livingspringspublishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The writing in this novel was as good, the storyline exciting and well developed believable characters.

Unpredictable with red herrings and the suspense had me on the edge of my seat. Great story.

3.5⭐️⭐️⭐️🌛
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Thankyou #netgalley #mimeichmann #livingspringpublishers for the arc copy of this book for a honest review.
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Interesting choice of characters, slow paced of story. Some other plot doesn’t add up but it makes a twisty story. Nearly DNf but ending is strong .


❤️Shaye.reads

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. Great characters and descriptions.


The storyline is very interesting and quite different to other books I’ve read recently.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. Great characters and descriptions. The storyline is interesting and quite different to other books I’ve read recently.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy of this book.

"A Midwest Gothic journey set in southern Indiana in 1978, unraveling a deadly tangled web of lies surrounding three former high school friends, one of whom has been missing for over a decade...but which one? And why?"

Always drawn to the Gothic, always drawn to 1978.

Well I've read all of Mim's books now and I must say she sure surprised me with all she said. I mean I read her first two books and was quite impressed with the history and research that she put in. She ask me to review her first book. But this book was a current crime novel that was not a historical novel, but was a work of fiction. Let's just say that 3 sisters and one Nazi were quite a lot of characters of ill repute. It took Denise Prescott quite awhile to figure out everything that happened and bring it to a conclusion. While recuperating in a hospital while her lover man was recuperating in another Hospital. Mim did a good job at making you feel everyones problems and each and every turn of events. I highly recommend this book as a first class read.