Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Girl in the Rearview Mirror: A Novel
    Girl in the Rearview Mirror: A Novel
    Girl in the Rearview Mirror: A Novel
    Ebook417 pages6 hours

    Girl in the Rearview Mirror: A Novel

    By Kelsey Rae Dimberg

    3.5/5

    ()

    Switch to audiobook
    Read preview

    About this ebook

    An Entertainment Weekly hottest read of the summer • A USA Today hottest read of the week • A Refinery29 best thriller of June • A New York Post best book of the week

    “With hairpin twists and immense psychological acuity, Kelsey Rae Dimberg’s Girl in the Rearview Mirror is as seductive as the glamorous, privileged family at its center—and as cunning. An exciting, intoxicating debut, it will hold you until its startling final pages.” — Megan Abbott, bestselling author of Dare Me and Give Me Your Hand

    I never meant to lie. That is, I never wanted to.

    They are Phoenix’s First Family: handsome Philip Martin, son of the sitting Senator, an ex-football player who carries himself with an easy grace and appears destined to step into his father’s seat when the time is right; his wife Marina, the stylish and elegant director of Phoenix’s fine arts museum; and their four-year-old daughter Amabel, beautiful and precocious and beloved.

    Finn Hunt is working a dull office job to pay off her college debt when she meets Philip and charms Amabel. She eagerly agrees to nanny, thinking she’s lucked into the job of a lifetime. Though the glamour of the Martins’ lifestyle undeniably dazzles Finn, her real pleasure comes from being part of the family: sharing quick jokes with Philip in the kitchen before he leaves for work; staying late when Marina needs a last-minute sitter; and spending long days with Amabel, who is often treated more like a photo op than a child.

    But behind every façade lurks a less attractive truth. When a young woman approaches Finn, claiming a connection with Philip and asking Finn to pass on a message, Finn becomes caught up in a web of deceit with the senate seat at its center. And Finn isn’t exactly innocent herself: she too has a background she has kept hidden, and under the hot Phoenix sun, everything is about to be laid bare. . . . 

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOpen Road Integrated Media
    Release dateJun 18, 2019
    ISBN9780062867933
    Author

    Kelsey Rae Dimberg

    Kelsey Rae Dimberg received an MFA from the University of San Francisco and studied at Barrett Honors College of Arizona State University, where she was editor-in-chief of the literary magazine, Lux, and received the Swarthout Award in Fiction. Girl in the Rearview Mirror is her first novel. Born in Seattle, Kelsey has lived in eight states, and currently resides in Milwaukee.

    Related to Girl in the Rearview Mirror

    Related ebooks

    Thrillers For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      The Love Of Music

      Apr 6, 2023

      “I never thought that I’d ever be sitting sipping coffee on a sun-bathed boulevard in Rome. And with the most gorgeous girl in the world – soon to be my wife! We’re so lucky. How are you feeling, darling?” said Benjamin, stretching out his hand to cl

      3 min read

    • Article

      Cricket League

      Sep 1, 2020

      Cricket League
      7 min read

    • Article

      Life In The past Lane

      Aug 27, 2021

      Life In The past Lane
      5 min read

    • Article

      Three Poems

      Mar 1, 2019

      War is coming but my neighbors can’t believe it. I ring their doorbells and tell them: maybe not this May, but next June at the latest. They stare straight past me, at the maze of lawns, the sprinklers, a kid on a bike hurling the Globe onto porches.

      3 min read

    • Article

      ‘In the Country of Women’: Featured Nonfiction from Susan Straight

      Nov 19, 2019

      In our latest edition of featured nonfiction, we present an excerpt from National Book Award finalist Susan Straight’s new novel, In the Country of Women, out now from Catapult. The post ‘In the Country of Women’: Featured Nonfiction from Susan Strai

      8 min read

    • Article

      My Gangfight On The Buses

      Jan 12, 2022

      My Gangfight On The Buses
      3 min read

    • Article

      Universal Truths

      Jun 20, 2021

      Universal Truths
      2 min read

    • Article

      Talent Sprouts

      Mar 1, 2019

      Talent Sprouts
      4 min read

    • Article

      Ghost Girl, Banana

      Aug 21, 2023

      By the time I was 25, there were only two things I remembered about Mumma. The first was that she smelled of watermelons, the second was that we were happy. We’d taken our father’s name of course, but a name is only half a story. The other half exist

      6 min read

    • Article

      Two Poems by Noah Warren

      Dec 1, 2020

      Some waves came up overnight, though in Norderney, there was no weather.At the commercial wharf, a thin stream of white exhaust rose vertically from the ferry.The first service would depart soon. The puddles lay dark in the stone streetsand in the ga

      3 min read

    • Article

      Changing Our Narratives through ‘Days of Our Lives’

      Oct 17, 2018

      1. Just weeks before the presidential election, after the release of the recording in which Donald Trump bragged about sexually assaulting women as he headed to the set of Days of Our Lives, my mother called me. While most people talked about the wor

      5 min read

    • Article

      My Lasting Impression?

      Feb 26, 2019

      My Lasting Impression?
      5 min read

    • Article

      Feeling Deflated

      Jan 5, 2024

      Feeling Deflated
      2 min read

    • Article

      Dinner with Martin Amis

      Oct 3, 2019

      Dinner with Martin Amis
      9 min read

    • Article

      Not One Of The CROWD

      Feb 16, 2022

      Not One Of The CROWD
      8 min read

    • Article

      Cherubs

      Jul 5, 2023

      Cherubs
      10 min read

    • Article

      “Lemmy Gave Me Lice!”

      Dec 30, 2022

      “I grew up in the San Francisco Bay area and I knew everybody in the local scene because I worked at [community promoter] the Family Dog. People started asking me to dance for them. So I approached Jerry Garcia and said, ‘Can I dance onstage with the

      2 min read

    • Article

      I REMEMBER… Barry Humphries

      Mar 15, 2022

      I REMEMBER… Barry Humphries
      5 min read

    • Article

      Alma’s Hands

      Jan 1, 2023

      Alma’s Hands
      8 min read

    • Article

      Thirteen

      Jan 30, 2020

      Thirteen
      21 min read

    • Article

      Table Talk

      Jun 1, 2022

      Table Talk
      10 min read

    • Article

      “How Lucky Am I?

      Sep 7, 2023

      “How Lucky Am I?
      9 min read

    • Article

      That Particular Sunday

      Jul 6, 2023

      That Particular Sunday
      26 min read

    • Article

      Notes on Etiquette

      Mar 1, 2019

      Notes on Etiquette
      10 min read

    • Article

      Nick Offerman: ‘I Was Told I’d Never Not Be Ron Swanson’

      Jun 10, 2023

      At the weekends, Nick Offerman likes nothing more than to sit at home with his wife, Will and Grace’s Megan Mullally, doing puzzles while listening to an audiobook – “Which, by the way, is a huge life hack,” he says enthusiastically. “Those two activ

      8 min read

    • Article

      Seize The Day

      Dec 22, 2020

      Seize The Day
      6 min read

    • Article

      An ocean OF LOVE

      Jun 27, 2023

      An ocean OF LOVE
      6 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Girl in the Rearview Mirror

    3.5/5

    44 ratings12 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      Not since "Jar of Hearts" have I so disliked the main character. Natalie is involved in an unpleasant incident back home and she leaves to go out of state and reinvent herself as Finn (her middle name). She becomes a nanny for a wealthy family heavily involved in politics. The lies she tells about her past come back to haunt her but she realizes other people's lies are much worse. She's a snoopy person but she does have some amazing insight about her employers. Even though I didn't like her it was a compelling read.
    • 3/5
      3.5 stars.

      Girl in the Rearview Mirror by Kelsey Rae Dimberg is an intriguing mystery set in the world of politics.

      Nanny Finn Hunt delights in caring for rambunctious four year old Amabel  Martin. Her parents Philip and Marina Martin are influential in the local community. Philip's father, Senator Jim Martin is up for re-election in a tight race. When Amabel points out a young woman whom she says has been following her,  Finn is initially skeptical of her claims. But once the woman approaches her with a story that could damage the Martin family, Finn is reluctant to confide in her employers or her boyfriend, Bryant Dewitt, who is an aide to the Senator.  As the situation spirals out of control, Finn is determined to uncover the truth after tragedy strikes.

      Finn comes from humble beginnings but since reinventing herself after moving to Arizona, she has fabricated much of her background.  She has been less than honest with Bryant but she is certain revealing her secrets will end their relationship. Finn's fascination with Philip makes it difficult for her to believe the woman's story, but the situation quickly escalates due to Finn's inaction.  She remains on the fringes of the family as she tries to piece together the truth and protect the Martins.  However, Finn could never have predicted how terribly wrong her association with the powerful family will end.

      Finn is a bit of an enigmatic figure who holds her secrets close.  The Martins, of course, know the truth about her past, but with everyone else, she reveals as little as possible about herself. She adores young Amabel but Finn's relationship with Marina is distant and strictly professional. Finn's interest in Philip has run its course but she still believes the best about him. Desperate to understand why this woman has targeted the Martin family, Finn takes matters into her own hands and begins her own investigation. Will uncovering the truth bring her a measure of peace? Or will it ruin the life she has built for herself?

      Girl in the Rearview Mirror is an interesting mystery that is a bit slow paced. Finn is a likable young woman but she quickly unravels and makes ill-thought out decisions that puts herself in the path of danger. The political world is often dark, murky and ruthless but how far will the people in the Martin's orbit go to protect the family? With a very shocking twist, Kelsey Rae Dimberg brings her debut mystery to a stunning but somewhat predictable conclusion.
    • 3/5
      This story held my interest because I was curious about how it would end. I kept expecting a jaw-dropping secret to be revealed or an unexpected explosion of personal drama. But the climax of this book could have been in a black and white silent film, with just a paragraph of white words on a black background to explain the bland twist that failed to save this story for me. It had it's moments of not-so-thrilling suspense but ultimately left me disappointed.
    • 3/5
      Ok, so I have mixed feelings about this book. I liked it as far as thrillers go but at the same time I felt it was lacking on the strong character connection and storyline. From the summary, I knew that everyone had a secret and no one was innocent. Yet, when all of the cards were laid on the table, the secrets were not that jar dropping. Maybe I am being a bit harsh as this is my favorite genre. Finn's secret was most disappointing. I thought it was going to be something huge. Not to excuse what happened in the past as horrible but I just thought it was going to be dark. This is because of who she was working for. Speaking of the Martin's. They were kind of dull. Philips's father had a stronger commanding presence then his son. The last third of the story seemed rushed. This is where all of everyone's secrets and the storyline came together but not much details were spent on these events. The ending was fine. Overall, not as strong a showing as I hoped but I am willing to give this author another chance.
    • 4/5
      Finn takes a job as a nanny for the granddaughter of a prominent Arizona politician and thinks she has the perfect job. When another woman starts following Finn and the child, things start becoming less clear. This book is a page turner with lots of twists and turns, but I had trouble with the decisions the main character kept making. I kept wanting to tell her not to do what she was doing. Others will love the book, but this one was not for me.
    • 4/5
      This is a page-turner. The suspense builds until the end. The only negative comment I have is that the ending seemed a bit abrupt. Still, it was a very entertaining read!
    • 3/5
      Overall, I gave this book 3 stars because I felt the plot was a bit contrived. The beginning of the story started off fairly well and kept my interest, however it soon became hard to follow, and I felt a bit lost.
    • 3/5
      Finn is the nanny for the grandchild of a high profile politician. The child is the first to notice they are being followed. There are many unexpected twists and turns in the story, and nothing is as it seems. This book was well written, and kept me up late reading, but the ending was a little disappointing.
    • 4/5
      A slow start, but really great read. I was constantly trying to figure out what was going on. Thank you to Librarything and William Morrow for this advance reader’s edition.
    • 4/5
      This book is about so many things. It's about money, power, love, hate, suspicion, money, power, and the powerless.The girl who is hired as a Nanny has her own story. The powerful, wealthy family has its own story. The child is loved. Peripheral characters abound. I was in this book with them. I hung on the outside of every scene, wanting to know where it was going. I felt all the pain. I felt all the simple joy. I understood the desires of some. Or I thought I did.You, too, will know these people when you read this book. You, too, will root for them and talk to them. And you, too, will not see some things coming. You will stand on the sidelines as I did, as the story unfolds, and you will not see some things coming no matter how hard you are looking. And not just once.This book is great. The characters are great. The location is great. The story is great. Loved it. And so will you.Thank you to Librarything. com and William Morrow publishers for my copy of this book.
    • 3/5
      I was enjoying this book somewhat until [spoiler alert] the little girl disappeared [ok I won't give the plot totally away] and Finn, the nanny, was no longer focused on nannying. I found the characters, except for the little Ammabel, thin, more like cardboard cutouts than real people. And the plot was just not all that compelling - and its resolution, at the end, was pretty ludicrous. A handprint on glass and a dropped book, surmise about the guilty party's thoughts, and that's it? We're supposed to accept that?Could be a movie I suppose - that was the level of the writing.
    • 4/5
      This is a great debut suspense novel by Kelsey Rae Dimberg. I found myself interested in the characters after just a few pages and diving deep into the lives of a political dynasty and the people that surround them, including the nanny who is charged with taking care of 5 year old Amabel. It definitely has a sense of place being set in Arizona and the author's descriptions of the weather and unadulterated heat certainly make you feel like you are there with them. I did find myself getting frustrated with the main character a couple of times b/c she took huge risks while trying to get down to the bottom of the family drama and find out the truth about long held secrets, but that did add to the suspense of the story. The only part I had a really hard time with was the accidental death of the little girl. That part was hard to read and I wonder if the same effect could have taken place by having her be kidnapped (and eventually returned) instead of being gone for good. Overall, I enjoyed it.1 like

    Book preview

    Girl in the Rearview Mirror - Kelsey Rae Dimberg

    dbook_preview_excerpt.html}}[FVLMMI2(J6$#YExD !<2EO`2;9^w 2S%fD8;MK:57|8qõ:W9V4?]cwUjN%LU|/ax_ϩc-\SӟC8oԴñJ}4+~SSG|c]UUi.c[ƹ2ǴξܶᚎXs{<{G{ }i*: Gl@R?U3颞aGQO>!j)]6x8X%7,mLO|f/tPUǃCWXk_ǑuM}3ϷӮ/WnfMOXuc04590b۶u o>4 Gp0jb54(zԶamQk҆-:.$ǯ./~O}.8Uuk]7uCcq?}qMEΠ_)K]hOul>/Zo݇s3W 1!ڴS4=wGݪ>.696 yciȕW?)pvՄo`JvOjw_]2θ[Oi6ϸsl3]hSR8NmA0(:nϩ†TC6(7jxR_\װLiw84pؕ9 xr(Hvn N}xލհ'Pߋ[+-j~aHm*ysVG`ۓM >DU㷺qޞbqxlT:S|unӖ)>*>c%.Mh`T&dv'l$3Bd A?ǺmZ9R<Ԧ ɪ!INqlxM$jFw48L+4J8Uthi5]=0:?53|&6ev䀢(!(Ci5h`'vjHzsi+SҨ"crc~53kGDlAMa1H,.0Q0S N=ۓ%p^{,"xTi VOgLSr h"Xmk{l0<'Q*1vkZ5BIuǭ9r]qkx;C|b1Zt\1A 00[%R{T\3;Wn*\ 0}zܳzBf+5Sj7A&YFX%":K-&*m>b(&v[Tcq*'sص?Kc0 p%|4߅_.8EUA$ kSgf'vS*/~|=> =̡mFLhłCsy4Kc1G[!GF?sl(F A0n쇶ȼӊni˳{G]cb89^)<'Lu>(>Yt#<ṐlYs  'Oײ#eAc9̲BC-q\E4,P|Q %Se~e\ [:aCO[%c2R ?–e-VW|$ }JBfLc)Z\ӌ6czM~&Vq\/a(xgXOd* 8,##' ~hCwHL>|lS'^v2 ;A?2tL $yq9κGf&kWq4v A$ep0G «+Ͷ,j2d Fhkq>R;}{˘@`۷݉xΡN閗-Weq-)iO]cٻO'`FU+gZ, n᭾nz#vpmGff#L5FVq]V<%O-oa{nAcrݚ|:Ppp@6osXz0ed ?gZRٸ ³,X'!tG']V4<'MS əJ07f෾JoMⲍǹ ۛeE.><"&F1887iЬ.'C,!& 03ɩثˉi:X{?ٷ"^A ֓J201rXA7!N%j Y az0r^plú){ĜT-Ɓ\ OaJ_fNH"Dn0 THi1 c$5I,0.jfNl/vم@(qB MֹotUYP-B$ Ws0J.j8fp<ȭΌSH6Z Ό|O\Ks J_?j=avWrdo^@8H8>] 'i9b 28g<`+yd2c(S'>-8{|iZ% jYnE!˙sFP? `50 ig 빠a<\8aCIAq`xhΨ%Pk"fQ,jA%V.kʹYQ-nBT@0#v$'Iq|q |k$Km?MVmfႢ٬JҖ ˌ+ Jh:9bN4=B 4(d<~ҁmnJ:*Q~ W=>QΟ蜄cu,SE3ɱ/%k1#y Xq%jzt#+J!b3LNH](h]X)*gL/1I n 7L Sw}U6#aNQy _FC%.ZE,YEfHFTǤwxj7Lk'Trὥδ< VDt]#KZJN.{0!(,i¦n2:d*8sB=`cw r3z=/.ZǭbH)sYћm8qq^\$Xsy)U#?#]`6l9cFiv:L~ZEy %CXog#BD'3> Ie"G.}JL_%s(äŚ-BB2sHVHw͡F} [­ظh(CX X^:ydIK7.&^n*-ճnbmˈ1$?I-JF$Vpc/eəf}hw@^ T`^CnbYD#,#@X0@rX>?LZ?'Eˏ8)^ v:UJժq#1w(-6 mPS:svU9|yventiUc~=Xtqu<z~Wж^qFw9|rGVheOv3<վ:3?/,O| z_l{WZOKK>#{;2ङG(S'lfꇝAO0Ya 1: +=2 kT)801Ӗ\vzlo)ĽکȌDp>a*lգJR($,F\R;UcL3C}`)jr *lc*aзdYJD9pBV:a4$4,HanpfR}\!Z%fx.M/f|) Rjf[e28_xn8x\6ZٸgL nEiU^[0h@sG $eU]løI"bm6_>䝕0I0X7 k$e4?|:UA*I>e+CΪ\f˔jŠA, f%7ސmUDA696Z?Am|Xbdٸ\&3)7Vj7KГWk28*2j~9zA0`P%]E4.8+Gr'gPo͟w,0QjMdvO~WNy؇>qvW-ۯ9wɇRsRܮeS;kN DZ%WerhE<'ڂG0Z}(BL]4Rey>݋JlokEA\mYuXO1ݯZr*`ﻊeVNnK^ׯ"^RߑnfY>-9N`pQ7JFQ5byCiʝS_/~^4F#Nnc619eUѵ(ȯМMQ; Q0,8oֶ;ipZ)qTޒ iK9f-2,-p |.[e.[_82jg&S?YFciSRLLSj4]U 9a8G'z!Pq A:vi$ğ}W+-T)V< x#ɤj-c'+‘EwtͬVx)- +k; e릛 lcC0@֪ȯh@[6ૄc _C 5qv`AQfx@TkF3'+%_z#DĻpe欢)*k h}!جɜ1ypnpabs^{c!arU G8Ֆk6X$'ݘ )L& lWoSvλ|Xba4yLd/yD^N7i|5gwS6ϤIun^8QKoekeZL%'arf&x7=$ /˜$,s(SjL+yTM>'T]HS,1a-z퐈 ZǞOYMK{!Xf(;iVkī@e8KiC9"ZStsU8M8A+Qȫ#EKZGqA1MF^Kܬ)G]VZǨK5Hmݪu^M-dO2Q=Yf|`[4#lF2O^$"T:{%djY*uS 'Vj. j"( ΃r] ii A뿌LeRڒi5MO޽v9Kww==$.z[I,K_3Wo&yC4&Ջ-ۼig8$ :kqs scɚ88xZXfڠ7ZĪZ ~4FG͚x.kjAJ fT6͚' ?٨BR0YS^qL(xopyVsQNrmr&e PT ՇsLMV1-jӃ˾em/$aLj#;[ϩhK~fnmAލ 3NKc.u2{웳]isST<cƑ 9`6=fnق/ilOSj`Iue]}8SsJ|܌nj]`3ۤ\v p4]l\wXl!ƾ2=YWtaѼ)hNSϥέ#e{>wɶ Y]> Ɉl<}g23A\kNthBCӯ_OFkqi6'~!uzB ܂]5:ߑ{ k 9?ٯaiɚs`Zt]`sY)4sXdDNc|"(.镟u[&4ٜY"z#kTR۲˞oCe<Vp_=5pjkY<)%4>rW=F%>p$}gum0MA3i@`ֺL+d;eo9)b|s's ^Y$vm#;x٭|Qg;OSi]7QsnJ߼Qrloa l#ݭ' SMgcB&`.?Ħ=>]ğ<&XSKtKIc6Kr1:B{[i-Kn.D`B{5lλP^3U>BnaQ`cC| YWj[1'YU8%Y͉vEu6a>HAr tCOM-5S% VzO'gCZGӨeIP7Y m_5ȫ<ϣn=6GuzfEר*ՈG+Yx:#+NzYݻixr: 뛪^b2s3r 6v'wh|O᠌/i0| rO#VNg>a1j{ɁCs)]z'&ȝFS 7|ě7 p^6╽imXĵn 4gGc-#2JQXmeoutV? 9Ӣު bd"$A여F˺PZ)FF=-V(L$g͈^Uf sF(q4_t6Йؙ j`í.W|ivısZm}ΥUΏqkqL^˛,ې 3[wX^=ǍmĈkRM."Z7@tM'/1.Wbwր֩\䚧m@Jac!sYW{-l6uoExMcm3q;<CwZ)3OObl%>b2c.lRRzp϶ݼj}l5'cU^r'RD.e&5b| E{`);sܞ:`a; l9^p=8f~Uj,Z˸igY :/xRBJ 2YCo8ʘ2rX*9!mX͍^ `I?ׅo,;?'W\;˳39,CS7>Z6>fkq?3l{%fw 9F5I%a+ҏlr.]ΆCgkU=i.РP~\,si^qoyɯJp4VŬ&[RC-8u{OA8& t/uEȖEau븱j]ɠR׬d8x[u긊׌)-Qz8OXO۹w.T Eì=@hF<^DK6l g,w{QB|:ǹ)#W S&y}=4@{3K2Y Zq4,KxX+8? ZٜnyA(ϱVUZò7{uMm"߬3.KSLoQsX}YoŦISy=ἣZ P@2 }Ũp6cOhs?͈Y~si&5ٔ^%W§ۺuP;"X:I6Or٧ّ eP@/E Ӿ26ϲ&{F`%杓xdD#*yQ.=,7s~{*kkNksGWH<ޭ-{
    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1