Author: Joy Castro
Publication Date: July 17, 2012
From Goodreads:
Nola Céspedes, an ambitious young reporter at the Times-Picayune, finally catches a break: an assignment to write her first full-length feature. While investigating her story, she also becomes fixated on the search for a missing tourist in the French Quarter. As Nola’s work leads her into a violent criminal underworld, she’s forced to face disturbing truths from her own past and is confronted with the question: In the aftermath of devastation, who is responsible for rebuilding what's been broken?
Vividly rendered in razor-sharp prose, this haunting thriller is a riveting journey of trust betrayed—and the courageous struggle to rebuild. Fast-paced, atmospheric, and with a knockout twist, Hell or High Water features an unforgettable heroine as fascinating and multilayered as New Orleans itself.
My Thoughts:
When a beautiful tourist is kidnapped in the middle of the day, all of New Orleans is on edge. She is the third woman to have gone missing and everyone fears the worst, including Nola Cèspedes, a journalist who has just been given her first important feature at her newspaper. Writing about convicted sex offenders, Nola has to research their crimes and also meet with some who have committed horrible offenses. Not only does this put her in many dangerous situations, but she is also forced to examine her own life and come to terms with dark secrets of her own.
Hell or High Water as a fascinating read. For someone who is a little obsessed with true crime, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. As if Nola's story wasn't interesting enough, the author did an incredible job of blending facts, statistics and even New Orleans culture into the pages. We learn a lot about New Orleans' history and before the story ends you will feel like you have been walking the streets yourself, soaking in each and every detail. Beyond that, there is much to learn about sexual offenders, rape and child molestation along with the after effects caused by such trauma.
The heroine in this story is Nola. She is in her late twenties, single and trying to make a name for herself as a journalist. She is strong and smart, but she also has a few personal issues. She doesn't handle authority well and she first comes off as a little brazen and quite promiscuous. Honestly, I didn't really care for her at first. I found it hard to connect to a character who would do things that I personally found a little disgusting. But as the story progressed, my views on Nola started to change. I realized there was a reason for Nola's behavior and everything started to make sense. I like to think that had I come across her in real life, we might actually make great friends.
Besides the rough start with Nola, I had a few other small concerns throughout the book. There was a lot of information to take in regarding the sex offenders. A lot. So much so that at times I felt like I was reading a report on crime instead of a novel. Like I said before, the author did do a great job blending facts with fiction, but there were still a few times where it was just too much at once. I was also left with an unanswered question and I hate when that is the case. But since there will be a second novel featuring Nola, I am hoping that this question will finally be answered.
Overall, I enjoyed Hell or High Water quite a bit. It is a much heavier read than I originally thought: very dark, gritty and even comes with a fantastic twist at the end that will leave you staring at the pages with your jaw hanging on the floor. The heroine is strong and spunky and flawed just like the rest of us, someone we can all relate to. If you are looking for a deeper read that gets your heart pumping, this is it.
To learn more about Joy Castro and her books, visit her website here.
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