Review: Good Graces by Lesley Kagen

I loved Whistling in the Dark and waited with anticipation for the release of Good Graces.  I find myself disappointed in this sequel.  Don't get me wrong, I didn't hate it but didn't love it either.  I felt that the relationship between Sally and Troo was very drawn out and repetitive.  The ending was so unrealistic and odd to me.  I still love the characters and feel like they would have been my friends growing up.  Well, Sally at least.  However, as an adult, Troo's spunkiness sure makes me laugh!

SYNOPSIS by Barnes & Noble
Lesley Kagen returns with the sequel to her national bestselling debut, Whistling in the Dark.
Whistling in the Dark captivated readers with the story of ten-year-old Sally O'Malley and her sister, Troo, during Milwaukee's summer of 1959. The novel became a New York Times bestseller and was named a Midwest Honor Award winner.
 
In Good Graces, it's one year later, and a heat wave has everyone in the close-knit Milwaukee neighborhood on edge. None more so than Sally O'Malley, who remains deeply traumatized by the sudden death of her daddy and her near escape from a murderer and molester the previous summer. Although outwardly she and her sister, Troo, are more secure, Sally's confidence in her own judgment and much of her faith have been whittled away. When a series of disquieting events unfold in the neighborhood-a string of home burglaries, the escape from reform school of a nemesis, and the mysterious disappearance of an orphan, crimes that may involve the increasingly rebellious Troo-Sally is called upon to rise above her inner demons. She made a deathbed promise to her daddy to keep Troo safe, a promise she can't break, even if her life depends on it. But when events reach a crisis point, will Sally have the courage and discernment to make the right choices? Or will her false assumptions lead her and those she loves into danger once again?

RATING 3 1/2 STARS