What Janie Found (Laurel-Leaf Books) (The Face on the Milk Carton)

by Caroline B. Cooney

In the vein of psychological thrillers like We Were Liars, Girl on the Train, and Beware That Girl, bestselling author Caroline Cooney’s JANIE series delivers on every level. Mystery and suspense blend seamlessly with issues of family, friendship and love to offer an emotionally evocative thrill ride of a read.


No one knows what happened to the killer. Janie Johnson's two families appear to have made peace. Life seems almost normal. Janie has even decided to speak to her former boyfriend, Reeve, again. But then Janie's Connecticut father suffers a stroke, and the tragedy leaves her mother reeling. Janie must step in to manage family finances and to support her mother emotionally.

While handling her father's business matters, Janie discovers the one undeniable fact that could destroy both of her beloved families. And she alone must decide what to do.

• ISBN10: 038574241X
• ISBN13: 9780385742412
• Publish Date: 22 May 2012 (first published 11 January 2000)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Ember
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 208
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780385742412

Reviews

[Whitney @ First Impressions Reviews]

Janie's Connecticut father has suffered a stroke/heart attack and Janie has been assigned to putting his office in order. Among the cabinet drawers she finds a thin file marked H.J. -- Hannah Javenson, Miranda and Frank Johnson's biological daughter, the woman who kidnapped Jennie Spring and set all this turmoil in motion. In this file Janie found a checkbook in which Frank has been mailing checks to his child for the last three years, postmarked to Colorado. Colorado, where her older brother Stephan goes to school, so under the pretext of visiting him she, Reeve and her younger brother Brian con their parents into "visiting him". They do visit Stephan, just with an ulterior motive.

At the end of The Voice on the Radio Reeve's lawyer sister Lizzie divulges that Hannah died five years ago. So really, I'd like to know who is receiving these checks. Anyway, why wouldn't Reeve just tell Janie this and save them all the trouble. I know why, because a) Janie wouldn't listen and b) because after his fuck up last year wanted to cozy into her good side again. Because of this I continued to hear Stupid, Stupid Stupid circulate in my head. Stephan, did have an annoying girlfriend who together with her retired FBI daddy couldn't get enough of the Janie sideshow. But this was the book's only redeeming factor. As cliche as it sounds, What Janie Found does wrap up all ends nicely with both families becoming one, but at the end of the day, I could have gone without this installment.