The Good Girl Review

Mary Kubica knocks it out the park with her debut novel The Good Girl.

Mia Dennett is the black-sheep daughter of a prominent Chicago judge and the titular Good Girl. Misunderstood by her family, Mia leaves home at 18 and never looks back. She follows her heart and becomes an art teacher in the inner city, determined to eschew her opulent lifestyle. Mia is stood up by her boyfriend and begins to flirt with a stranger in a bar. The story is told in three voices: Colin, who was tasked with kidnapping Mia but grows a conscious and takes off for the woods. Eve, Mia’s mother, who reflects that she wasn’t always the best mother, but like any woman, did the best she knew how. Last, there’s Gabe. Gabe is the detective in charge and finds himself attracted to Eve.

All three tell the story of The Good Girl in alternating voices. Gabe is the cop relentless in his quest to bring Mia home. Colin fights his apprehension and intimidation about the well cultured Mia and his dislike for those in power. Last, Eve is trying to make up for her shortcomings as a passive parent, and the realization that her husband is not the man she married.

Readers will wonder if Mia was indeed a good girl. She taught art in the inner city, she was friendly and likable, she was also fighting to save her life.

Any viewer of Law & Order, Lifetime movie of the weeks, or my new binge show Criminal Minds will find this story familiar but with a fresh voice.