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    After Her
    After Her
    After Her
    Audiobook9 hours

    After Her

    Written by Joyce Maynard

    Narrated by Joyce Maynard

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    The New York Times bestselling author of Labor Day and The Good Daughters returns with a haunting novel of sisterhood, sacrifice, and suspense

    I was always looking for excitement, until I found some . . .

    Summer, 1979. A dry, hot Northern California school vacation stretches before Rachel and her younger sister, Patty—the daughters of a larger-than-life, irresistibly handsome (and chronically unfaithful) detective father and the mother whose heart he broke.

    When we first meet her, Patty is eleven—a gangly kid who loves basketball and dogs and would do anything for her older sister, Rachel. Rachel is obsessed with making up stories and believes she possesses the gift of knowing what's in the minds of people around her. She has visions, whether she wants to or not. Left to their own devices, the sisters spend their days studying record jackets, concocting elaborate fantasies about the mysterious neighbor who moved in down the street, and playing dangerous games on the mountain that looms behind their house.

    When young women start turning up dead on the mountain, the girls' father is put in charge of finding the murderer known as the ""Sunset Strangler."" Watching her father's life slowly unravel as months pass and more women are killed, Rachel embarks on her most dangerous game yet . . . using herself as bait to catch the killer. But rather than cracking the case, the consequences of Rachel's actions will destroy her father's career and alter forever the lives of everyone she loves.

    Thirty years later, still haunted by the belief that the killer remains at large, Rachel constructs a new strategy to smoke out the Sunset Strangler and vindicate her father—a plan that unexpectedly unearths a long-buried family secret.

    Loosely inspired by the Trailside Killer case that terrorized Marin County, California, in the late 1970s, After Her is part thriller, part love story. Maynard has created a poignant, suspenseful, and painfully real family saga that traces a young girl's first explorations of sexuality, the loss of innocence, the bond shared by sisters, and the tender but damaged relationship between a girl and her father that endures even beyond the grave.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateAug 20, 2013
    ISBN9780062257437
    After Her
    Author

    Joyce Maynard

    Joyce Maynard is the author of twelve previous novels and five books of nonfiction, as well as the syndicated column, “Domestic Affairs.” Her bestselling memoir, At Home in the World, has been translated into sixteen languages. Her novels To Die For and Labor Day were both adapted for film. Maynard divides her time between homes in California, New Hampshire, and Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.

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    Reviews for After Her

    3.5/5

    193 ratings21 reviews

    What our readers think

    Readers find this title to be a well-written book with an amazing story. It combines elements of coming of age, thriller, tragedy, and redemption, making it a wonderful read. However, some readers found the writing to be bland and repetitive, and it focused more on family life than expected. Overall, it is a book worth finishing and exploring, but some may not be interested in the author's other works.

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      This is the first book by this author, I have mainly read Ann Rule, that being said, I enjoyed this as much as any of Ann Rule's books. It is very well researched, the author took the time to talk to as many people who knew the victim and perpetrator as possible. The events are detailed but not over dramatized and I was drawn into the story. She gave enough detail I was able to follow the events as they unfolded, but did not get bogged down. I even read through the trial part, something I usually skim through. I would recommend this book to others.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 2/5
      The title was overkill. The boy may have been an alter boy in his past, but that in no way defined him at the time of the murder. Unfortuneatly the story has become all too commonplace. Spoiled young people with no moral base getting into drugs, and later turning to violence. They all don't turn into murderers, but they seem to lack compassion for others. Perhaps the drugs have more of an effect on people than we really know, with it's ability to change the psyche of people, turning them into killers. It's a sad state of affairs for our country.
    • 5/5
      Wow — an amazing story. I thought it might have been going in a predictable direction but each time this thought crossed my mind, the story moved drawing me back in.
      Coming of age, thriller, tragedy and redemption all make up a wonderful book.
    • 2/5
      I was not happy with this book but I have an issue starting a book and not finishing it. The writing is bland and repetitive. I don't think I'll bother with this author again.
    • 4/5
      After Her by Joyce Maynard is a coming of age story intertwined with a delightful hint of a suspense novel. Having enjoyed Maynard’s previous works; Labor Day and The Good Daughters, I was quite excited to read After Her, which proved to be a compelling read, not one I would have chosen had I not read Maynard’s previous works, but one I am glad I did. Maynard has brilliant way of writing which immediately draws the reader into her books and keeping the reader intrigued and invested in her characters, and After Her is no exception. As summer draws to a close, I highly recommend picking up a copy of After Her by Joyce Maynard.
    • 3/5
      Well written but somehow not really gripping given its subject. It was more about family life than anything else. Nor quite my cup of tea I guess.
    • 3/5
      I agree the title was overkill. The boy may have been an alter boy in his past, but that in no way defined him at the time of the murder. Unfortuneatly the story has become all too commonplace. Spoiled young people with no moral base getting into drugs, and later turning to violence. They all don't turn into murderers, but they seem to lack compassion for others. Perhaps the drugs have more of an effect on people than we really know, with it's ability to change the psyche of people, turning them into killers. It's a sad state of affairs for our country.
    • 4/5



      After Her is a wonderful novel about two sisters whose detective father investigates a serial killer case, that happens on "their" mountain. The focus of the novel is the maturation of these sisters and their relationship. It is NOT a mystery novel per se, so if you are expecting this going in, you may be upset. I did not, and I just enjoyed the book as it unfolded to me.

      Set Northern California in 1979, it also deals with the relationship these daughters have with their very handsome, and chronically unfaithful father, and the mother whose heart he broke.
      When we first meet her, Patty is eleven—a gangly kid who loves basketball and dogs and would do anything for her older sister, Rachel. Rachel is obsessed with making up stories and believes she possesses the gift of knowing what's in the minds of people around her.

      Their mother works day times, and in the evenings she locks herself in her bedroom with library books. Left to their own devices, the sisters spend their days studying record jackets, concocting elaborate fantasies about the mysterious neighbor who moved in down the street, and playing in the natural beauty of the mountain right outside their back door. And finding a rusty old truck, and random hikers/lovers/hippies on the mountain that looms behind their house in their unsupervised summertime ramblings.

      I will not spoil the plot by revealing what happens (a great deal of it in the novel's closing chapters), but I will say that the novel is quite effective. The setting is evoked very nicely, as is the relationship between the sisters and their relationship with their father. This constitutes the thrust of the novel; we hear relatively little about the investigation of the serial killer case as the father wishes to maintain his daughters' innocence in that regard. (The coming-of-age elements of the story receive a great deal of attention and are likely to be of greater interest to women readers than to men.)

      I love how Maynard has created a poignant, suspenseful, and painfully real family saga that traces a young girl's first explorations of sexuality, the loss of innocence, the bond shared by sisters, and the tender but damaged relationship between a girl and her father that endures even beyond the grave. And after becoming a renown author in her own right, Rachel decided that thirty years later, still haunted by the belief that the killer remains at large, that she will construct a new strategy to smoke out the Sunset Strangler and vindicate her father—a plan that unexpectedly unearths a long-buried family secret.

      In this fascinating story with themes of obsession, dedication, loss, and the unique bond between fathers and daughters, especially when their families have been fractured by divorce. I loved that unlike many fictional tales of this kind, there were no predictable wrap-ups of the case. Instead we had to wait more than thirty years for the denouement that would bring justice and satisfaction to the narrator of this tale. I could not put this book down, and and read it constantly over the course of two days. Invariably, Maynard brings us a five star read that I will think about and remember always.
    • 4/5
      After Her by Joyce Maynard is a 2013 William Morrow publication.

      1979-

      Rachel and Patty are on summer break and are pretty much left to fend for themselves, while their mother spends most of her time in her room with her library books. Because their mother can’t afford cable, they watch TV through the window of their neighbor’s house and make up the dialogue themselves, and spy on another one their neighbors, creating elaborate stories about him.

      However, they also spend time playing on the mountain behind their house which also happened to be the possible hunting ground of The Sunset Strangler.

      The girls, Rachel especially, has a bird’s eye view of the case that is dominating headlines, because their charismatic father is the lead detective on the case. With her father's face on televison, the popular kids invite Rachel into their circle, eager for exclusive information about the case.

      However, as the case drags on, with no arrest, Rachel watches her father, a man with a weakness for women, but a larger than life hero to her, begin to slowly come apart, putting his health at risk, as his career and reputation go down the drain.

      As the years pass, Rachel never gives up on vindicating her father, determined to discover the identity of The Sunset Strangler....

      If someone were to ask me if I had read any books by Joyce Maynard I would have quickly answered in the affirmative. How is it possible I never one of her books, right? Yet, I have only listed two of her books here on Goodreads. If I have read her work previously, it was long before I was keeping track of such things. So- I’m going to count this book as part of my 2020 challenge to read authors I’ve never tried.

      Why I chose this book over her other novels, I’m not sure. I think it popped up on Goodreads or at the library and was the first one I came to on my list. Whether or not this is her best work or a book she is well known for, I couldn’t say. But, either way, I am glad I picked this book and will certainly go back and read more books by this author.

      Rachel’s first- person narrative is what brings this story to life. The author based the book on a true crime case, one similar to the events that transpire in the story, as the detective working the case had two daughters who firmly believe their father’s death was directly linked to his job.

      The time frame is also of great importance and as I was reading about the games Rachel and Patty played together in 1979, I was reminded of television shows and trends of the time. I was also struck by how free the girls were to roam and explore. Naturally, they put themselves in unnecessary danger and their whereabouts should have been monitored more closely.

      On the other hand, living without cable, and without having every single hour of their day planned and structured, exercised their minds and bodies, and encouraged their imaginations, which no doubt, played a role in Rachel's eventual career path. Not only that, this book should come with a soundtrack! But this is just my rambling musings.

      The book is a thriller, a mystery, a coming of age tale, and story about father and daughter relationships. It’s a poignant and bittersweet story that might make you grab for a tissue before all is said and done, but it’s also one of many surprises, ending on an upbeat note that hints at long overdue peace and new beginnings.

      Overall, this book is much more than a mystery-thriller- it's a well-rounded story with a little something for everyone. I’m very much looking forward to discovering more of Maynard’s work.

      4 stars
    • 3/5
      I really enjoyed this story. It's my first read by this author, but I was completely submerged in her characters and had a feeling of dread as the plot progressed toward predicted unpleasant events.
    • 4/5
      Joyce Maynard has written another engrossing book that follows two sisters, Rachel and Patty, through their pre-teen years in the 1970s and beyond in their obsession to help their chief detective father find a serial killer. Their parents divorced when they were young, leaving them with a mother who is virtually unavailable and a relationship with a father they adore despite his flaws. Loosely based on the real life "trailside killer" case in Marin County, California, the case haunts their father, who plummets from hero to scapegoat in the community when the murders go unsolved. The sisters are very close, sharing adventures and confidences, until Rachel succumbs to the lure of becoming part of the popular group before the glamor of her father's job fades with her then friends. Meanwhile, Patty pursues a love of playing basketball and dogs.

      The second part of this novel finds Rachel, a successful novelist, in her mid-forties, still attempting to find the serial killer by using herself as a lure. Patty has gone on to serve in the Peace Corps with heart-rending results. The third part is a resolution and new beginning for Rachel.

      Joyce Maynard has captured the poignancy of family relationships and the bond between siblings in this book. Readers will gain an understanding of the intricacy of these relationships through her excellent character development woven into a fascinating plot.
    • 4/5
      A good story with wonderful, realistic characters. A third of the way through the novel slows (this is the plague of many authors: "pokey middles") and I found myself speed reading ahead without missing anything. Another thing that bothered me was one of the deaths - really? Did you have to kill her off? I think the setting is one of the main reasons I enjoyed it: Marin Co, California is a place I know well - not just Mt Tamalpais, but even the individual trails mentioned. (I award stars in large part by how much I enjoyed a book.)
    • 4/5
      13 year old Rachel has a vivid imagination and a sister two years younger. They are each others best friends and totally crazy about their good looking homicide detective absence dad. They make up stories and play in the mountain behind their home. It is the summer of the Sunset Stranger and nothing can keep them out of the trails that make up his hunting grounds.
      This is the first book of Ms. Maynard that I have read. I will read more. Excellent portrayal of children coming of age. Except for a minor irritation of repeatedly telling us how good looking and irresistible to women their woman loving Dad was it was a good thriller
      Major problem I had with book was the total lack of forensic evidence. When the sisters claimed to have shot the guy in the eye o find it irresponsible that the blood at the scene was not collected and processed for DNA. And the hospitals were not canvassed for a face wound. Even if they.did not believe the girls and I am referring to the FBI who took over the case from their Det. DAD. ... for God's sake he should have believed them......
      I need to write.....someday.
    • 4/5
      “I tried to think of what my father would tell me. 'Don't let any boy give you shit.' But he'd never said how we should go about preventing this.”

      It was a summer like so many others, except for one thing. The string of murders perpetrated by the Sunset Strangler, which occurred on the mountain that loomed behind Rachel and her sister's house turned an ordinary year into something extraordinary. The times they spent imagining and dreaming about the world outside of neighbourhood, of growing up, of life, and boys suddenly pales in light of the terror that has their town gripped with fear. At the heart of the investigation is their father, Detective Torricelli, a hero of mythic proportions who far from being perfect, teaches them about the secrets that every father should impart to their daughters. The lessons they learned that summer of intrigue, heartbreak, murders and love will last them a lifetime.

      Loosely based on the serial murders dubbed the Trailside Killings, Maynard spins a fictional account of two sisters and their adventures that summer, their lives, and their encounter with the elusive killer. More of a coming of age story about what it means to be a girl, about growing up, about a time when children were free to roam the streets, to use their imagination to bide their time and less a thriller about a killer on a murderous spree. I appreciated the nostalgic perspective Maynard evokes when it comes to our youths, the risks and the dangers we thought we were impervious to and also the special bond that belongs to fathers and their daughters. Some loves last a lifetime and began before we could fully understand its importance or repercussions.
    • 3/5
      Strange little story, laboured in parts, about misfit sisters who largely raise themselves, with a handsome detective dad and a mentally tired mom. Iactually read it about 3/4 through before deciding that yes, I did already read this last year already. The American, and much less amusing, 'Man at the Helm'.
    • 3/5
      Less a thriller than a story of family and growing up. First half is quite enjoyable, but the narration switches to an adult perspective about 2/3 of the way through and the book looses some of its charm.
    • 3/5
      Joyce Maynard's After Her is a fictional retelling of the Trailside Killings that happened in Northern California in 1979. Rachel and Patty Torricelli are the daughters of divorced parents, one of which is the head detective of the Homicide department who is hunting a serial killer dubbed The Sunset Strangler.

      The inability to catch the Sunset Strangler weighs heavily on Det. Torricelli to the point where Rachel interfers but with disasterous results. The ramifications of The Sunset Strangler influence Rachel, who 30 years later, has become a successful author and whose latest work was written with the sole purpose of drawing the killer out.

      This was my first Maynard novel and I am glad I read it. It was part mystery and part coming of age. It was just indescribably good. Like a meal that looked scant but ended up being surprisingly fulfilling.
    • 4/5
      Joyce Maynard’s playbook seems to be wrapping up a complex and naturalistic domestic story inside a suspenseful and somewhat implausible plot. This book focuses on two California sisters, very close to each other, a little dorky, whose father is in charge of a serial-murder investigation. In the wake of the murders, with her dad on the news all the time, older sister Rachel feels her status rise in junior high, and she starts neglecting her sweet, stalwart sister Patti. As the murders continue with no apparent progress in the investigation, their father becomes a media scapegoat and Rachel is once again on the outs with the mean girls.

      What’s striking about this book is how riveting the domestic story is. In the midst of the serial murders, it’s really the relationship between the sisters that draws the reader’s attention. It is so easy to believe in these likeable, vulnerable girls and to empathize with their emotional struggles. In the last ten pages, when it becomes necessary to wrap up the serial-killer plot line, things degenerate into B-movie clichés. It hardly spoiled the book, but for me it was unnecessary.
    • 4/5
      It is a hot, dry summer in Northern California. It is 1979. Rachel is thirteen – an age when girls are morphing into young women. She and her younger sister, Patty, live in the shadow of Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County – a mountain they call their playground. But danger is lurking there – a serial killer is taking the lives of women, leaving their bodies sprawled naked except for their shoes, missing the shoelaces. Rachel and Patty’s father is the charismatic detective in charge of the case, a man who seems like a hero to his daughters despite leaving their mother for another woman. When months go by with no resolution in the case, Rachel is determined to help her father find the killer. But her efforts put herself and her sister in danger, and have unanticipated consequences for her father. Years later, at age 44, Rachel looks back on the summer of her thirteenth year and finds that her desire to catch a killer has not waned in the least.

      After Her is Joyce Maynard’s latest novel and is based loosely on the real case of the Trailside Killer — a series of murders in and around the San Francisco Bay area which terrorized hikers in the the 1970s. I was eager to read this book because not only did I live in Marin County at one time, but I also enjoyed hiking and running on Mt. Tamalpais. I had also read some nonfiction concerning the Trailside Killer (which at the time made me a little less likely to go hiking alone on the mountain).

      Maynard has written more of a literary novel than a tantalizing mystery. Rachel is a bright, inquisitive child who is experiencing the pain and awkwardness of growing up. She and her sister are incredibly close – the best of friends. The girls idolize their father, but as they grow up, they begin to see his faults and imperfections too. The growth of the characters, especially that of Rachel, is what drives the story…although there is a mystery, it is not that conflict that keeps the reader turning the pages.

      Joyce Maynard writes with an insight into her characters – their motivations, fears, desires, thoughts – which is brilliant. She puts the readers squarely inside the head of a thirteen year old girl on the cusp of womanhood, and makes the reader believe in that character. The novel explores the themes of coming of age, the bond between sisters, the hero-worship of fathers by their young daughters, sexuality, and divorce. These are weighty themes, but they work within the context of the story largely because of Maynard’s skill at creating character.

      After Her is a captivating novel which is well-written and poignant. Despite a few plot twists which weren’t exactly believable, I found myself enjoying the book from a literary perspective. Readers who enjoy literary fiction which are part mystery-thriller, will find this novel a good read.

      Recommended.
    • 3/5
      I really enjoyed that this story is set in Marin County, where I live! The author mentions lots of place I have been - Mount Tamalpais, Point Reyes, Muir Woods, Stinson Beach, Tennessee Valley, Bolinas, Peacock Gap, and the restaurant Marin Joe's! Even Novato - my home town!!! And the main character's father is Italian-American, with his family having come from Lucca, just like me! I also loved the use of the lyrics from the song "My Sharona" throughout the novel!
      The story itself is about a serial killer, the Sunset Strangler, to be exact who is loosely based on the real life Trailside Killer who actually existed in Marin County in the 1970's. Rachel, the main character, tries to help her detective father catch the killer by using her psychic visions. The story seems to repeat many details often, details that feel like the author is demanding we learn them. And the time skip toward the end is awkwardly written, almost as if it was being forced into the plot. Still, the familiarity of the settings really resonated with me, and I did enjoy the plot threads dealing with the Sunset Strangler quite a bit! Especially, the shoelaces!
    • 3/5
      Ok. Here goes! My first reviewJ
      I was really looking forward to reading this story! I have Joyce Maynard’s books on my library to-read list and I was really intrigued by this story, After Her. I even wrote the publisher when they forgot to send me my ARC… but … I was a little disappointed. I’ve been going back and forth about giving it a 2 or 3 star.
      There were something’s that I liked about the story and some that I did not:

      I really loved the relationship between the sisters. I thought it was very sweet and tender. Their everyday “adventures” were cute and fun to read about but… there were times I could not figure out where the author was going… For example, Rachel (the older sister) starts off by describing where they live, her dad’s dedication to his work, their parents’ relationship, her relationship with her sister and then the final part-the killings by “the Sunset Strangler”.

      Another aspect that really bothered me: I understood the relationship to the sisters (they were close and loved each other), the relationship with their father. Rachel loved and worshipped her father. However, I did not understand her relationship with her mother! She portrayed her mother as bitter and very removed from their world however, she thought it completely normal that their father would abandon his family for another woman and dedicate his career to tracking down the killer. She also seems to celebrate her father flirting with other women while her mother seems to fade like the furniture.

      I liked that the center of the story wasn’t the tracking of the killer but it really didn’t seem to fit in the story either… The story progresses from Patty and Rachel’s childhood into their adult years and then centers around the fathers obsession with finding the killer.