The Girl in Duluth is a literary mystery in the vein of Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones and Paula Hawkins’s The Girl on the Train. The novel won a 2023 Midwest Book Award and Mary Ann Grossman of the St. Paul Pioneer Press called the writing “gorgeous .... Why this novel wasn't snapped up by a publisher is the big mystery here."
When 18-year-old June Bergeron’s mother goes missing, June fears the disappearance could be connected to the unsolved murders of several women found in the woods near Duluth, Minnesota. As she begins to ask questions, she is pulled into an ugly and dangerous world of exploitation and abuse, and she discovers that everyone around her has been keeping secrets.
Set in a remote area of Minnesota on the Canadian border, The Girl in Duluth tells the story of not only one family’s troubled history, but of a shrinking rural community reckoning with issues of gender, class, and race. Candid and elegant, June’s voice also simmers with the uneasiness of a young woman who has suddenly become aware she can no longer be sure of anything.
With an atmospheric setting in a remote and densely forested patch of Minnesota adjacent to the Canadian border, The Girl in Duluth by Sigrid Brown tells the evocative and often troubling tale of a rural community populated by families with rumbling resentments and several secrets to hide. Following her mother’s disappearance and the local police force’s apparent inability to crack the case, eighteen-year-old June Bergeron decides to undertake her own investigation. She soon becomes suspicious that her mother’s case might be linked to a series of unsolved murders of women whose bodies were found dumped in the woods near Duluth, and as she investigates the matter further, she finds herself drawn into the hidden underbelly of the city, a grimy place characterized by poverty, exploitation, and abuse. As June comes to realize that many within the community are hiding disturbing secrets, she is forced to admit that she no longer knows what is true or who she can trust. While seeking to find out what really happened to her mother, she ends up finding out more than she ever imagined or wanted to know about the people of Duluth. by Erin Britton
"Set in Duluth, Minn., Brown’s affecting debut centers on 18-year-old June Bergeron, who becomes concerned when her mother, Tonya, with whom she has a fraught relationship, goes missing. Though June considers Tonya her parent “only in the strictest biological sense,” she joins her mother’s special friend, Frank, in searching for Tonya, alarmed that five other women, all matching Tonya’s age profile, have disappeared that year in northern Minnesota; three were eventually found murdered. June and Frank’s hunt for Tonya ends with their finding her dead of a gunshot wound. Unsatisfied by the obvious evidence of death by suicide, June starts an inquiry that leads her to believe her mother’s death might be connected with a sex-trafficking ring. Brown easily creates engagement with June, and poetic prose is a plus (in Tonya’s pocket is a note reading: “Do not be sad... Death is the ultimate voyage to the unknown... Look for me in the stars. Do not look for me in my body. I am not there!”). Fans of thoughtful crime fiction will hope for more from Brown."
The Girl in Duluth is an exceptional and poignant mystery and suspense novel that will thrill as well as move its readers with emotion-filled moments and thrilling events! The story is one that captivated me from the premise alone because I adore novels of this nature and as I started to read The Girl in Duluth, I found that I was instantly compelled as well as intrigued and I believe all readers will feel this! That is why I already have to recommend that you lovely readers have a read of The Girl in Duluth! However, if you need more convincing book lovers then continue to read to learn more about the wonderful The Girl in Duluth!
The Girl in Duluth is a moving, captivating, and memorable novel from start to finish that will take its readers on an intense but brilliant journey! The reader in The Girl in Duluth will be introduced to the protagonist of the novel, June Bergeron, an 18-year-old woman whose mother has just gone missing. June believes her mother’s disappearance is connected to unsolved murders of many women in the woods near Duluth, Minnesota. The reader will follow June as she embarks on a journey to learn the truth and discover what has happened to her mother, and along the way, she will come across dark discoveries and secrets and this book lovers is the short premise of the incredible The Girl in Duluth!
The story of The Girl in Duluth captivated me from the first page thanks to the book’s sharp literature and strong opening. The reader will be thrust into the thick of the story early on and I adored this approach courtesy of the talented author Sigrid Brown. Brown is a writer who knows how to capture her reader’s attention with her fast-paced approach and dramatic but heartfelt story. As I read The Girl in Duluth, I did so in a frenzy because the literature was incredibly addictive, so much so that the reader will race through the story and find it difficult to put the book down!
The Girl in Duluth has a story that picks up very fast; in other words, there is not a lot of time before the reader is thrust into the thick of the story! I personally love it when I am thrown into a story, I love being shocked, surprised, and amazed, and The Girl in Duluth made me feel all of these emotions and more.
Sigrid Brown is not only a phenomenal writer for her flawless ability to capture her reader’s attention, but she is also a great writer for her descriptive words and characterization of characters which will hook her readers. Brown is a newly discovered author of mine, and I admit, I am frustrated that I have not discovered her work sooner! Brown’s flawless literature and mesmerizing literature enthralled me for so many hours. The shock twists and turns she manages to inject into her story are remarkable and will have the reader turning the pages with haste because of it!
As The Girl in Duluth is a sensational, thrilling as well as moving story that will provoke your thoughts as well as entertain you, I have no choice but to award this stellar read five stars. If you are a reader who loves mystery and suspense novels, then this book is for you so do not miss out on the chance of reading it! Be sure to have a preview of the book below book lovers, you won’t regret it!
