The Girl at the Border

A Novel

By: Leslie Archer

Narrated by: Brittany Pressley

One girl missing, one woman searching, both equally lost. Will a shared tragedy help them find their way home - even in the face of imminent danger?

Renowned archaeologist Richard Mathis is half a world away on the island of Crete when he learns his daughter, Bella, has gone missing. Within twenty minutes, he’s on his way back to the States. Two days later, he’s dead.

Richard’s young assistant, Angela Chase, is devastated by the loss of the man who had become both mentor and friend, and she’s determined to find the missing girl, who seems to have made dangerous connections - and whose lonely childhood so resembles Angela’s own. Born Laurel Springfield, Angela now spends her days digging up the origins of a lost civilization while struggling to keep her own past buried. But will the search for Bella expose Angela’s carefully disguised identity - and will she find Bella before she’s lost forever?

©2019 Six String Theory Inc. (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“The Girl at the Border is mesmerizing. You’ll find yourself unable to set it aside!” (Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke, best-selling authors of Girls’ Night Out)

“Fascinating and unexpected. The Girl at the Border is one of those rare novels that manages to be current, smart, and completely involving. Loved it.” (Gregg Olsen, number-one New York Times best-selling author)

“An ambitious novel from an author with a distinct voice. The Girl at the Border sinks its teeth into loss, abandonment, and revenge and we’re better off for having lived the story beside the characters.” (Robert Dugoni, New York Times best-selling author)

Leslie Archer has written an excellent novel!

The author has written an excellent novel, full of intrigue and suspense! The narration is superb, bringing the characters to life!

Lacks Real Depth

The story line is a bit choppy with quickly mended subplots that are not well developed. There is not enough emotional attachment made with the main characters.

Not what I expected

Interesting story but way too many character timeline jumps. Very hard to follow. Not predictable so that was a plus. Nice introduction to the impact of 9-11 on American Muslims and archeology.

ok

hard to follow story line on audible. would have been easier to read it I think.

Confused

The story alright in the beginning, but after one of key characters die it became confusing. I could not tell if past or present or what character past history.

Modern tale of family, love and belonging

What a surprise this novel turned out to be. It ran the risk of falling into many cliches but at every turn, was the unexpected plot twist. Great job Narrator! Audible Listeners, pay attention to the Names of the Characters because the story does flip back and forth in time but the Names of the Characters will help you orient yourself. I hope many will read/listen to this novel as it’s themes are modern yet universal and it’s told with hope.

I was totally captivated by this story

It’s pretty rare that I finish a book and want to immediately reread it again! That is how I felt after I finished The Girl at the Border. From the first paragraph, I found myself drawn into the story and every time I take a break I couldn’t wait to get back to see what was gonna happen next. The authors prose, the pace of the story, and the richness and depth of the characters all made this a compelling read that I would recommend for all lovers of fiction. Highly recommended!

One thing to add: The (female) narrator gave a fantastic performance!