Twenty-Five Years Ago Today

by Stacy Juba

[Kim Deister]

Twenty-Five Years Ago Today is the debut adult novel from author Stacy Juba. It has all the makings of a classically great murder mystery: high drama, murder, mystery, family dysfunction, unexpected twists, and even a bit of romance. Kris Langley is a woman tortured by guilt over what she perceives as her blame in the death of her cousin and best friend Nicole. Because of that she has spent her entire life punishing herself and trying to find a way to right that wrong. When the story of Diana Ferguson crosses her desk in the course of her job, Kris becomes obsessed with solving the 25 year old murder and bringing peace to another family. Through twists and turns and multiple subplots, the story line was a great one. It had no end to the suspense, and kept me guessing to the end. I thought I knew who the murderer was very early on, and assumed the rest of the book would be the back story leading to that inevitable, I thought (!), conclusion. Instead, I was completely off base.

I liked the use of a little blurb at the beginning of each chapter. That "twenty-five years ago today" news blurb really tied together the title, the solving of Diana's cold case, and Kris' job at her paper. It was an interesting technique that really furthered the story line.

Kris was completely likeable as a main character. I became so involved with her that I was fully irritated for her character during 90% of the scenes with her mother and sister. Her angst and guilt was almost palpable throughout the story. The supporting characters were easily as intriguing as the lead, particularly those in Diana's family. Juba does a very good job of creating believable characters.

The conclusion made the story for me. It was so unexpected for me and I absolutely love the element of surprise in a genre that all too often can be too formulaic. A great read that should NOT be overlooked!