Angela was the captain of the cheerleading squad, the one everyone wanted to be friends with. She craved attention and Georgina was fine with letting her have it. But Angela didn’t like it when Georgina caught the eye of the good-looking, and older Calvin James. A while,” Geo says softly. A sob emanates from the center of the room. Candace Wong Platten’s shoulders shake, and her ex-husband puts an arm around her, though it’s clear he’s about to lose it, too. Their current spouses sit in silent horror, unsure how to react, not knowing what to do. It’s not their daughter, not their loss, but they feel it all the same. “It felt like it took a long time.”

Kaiser holds up the bag. “It is for you. And you can have it … so long as you tell me what Calvin James slipped you in court.” Geo spent a good chunk of her childhood at Angela’s house, eating take-out pizza in their kitchen, sleeping over countless times when her father worked nights in the ER at the hospital. She embraced the Wongs during the days when their only child didn’t come home, offering them reassurances that their daughter would be found, giving them answers that made them feel better, but were far from truthful. The Wongs were invited to the St. Martin’s High School graduation, where they received a special award on behalf of Angela, who’d been captain of the cheerleading squad, a star volleyball player, and an honor student. And every year after high school, wherever she was in the world, Candace Wong Platten mailed Geo a Christmas card. A dozen cards, all signed the same way. Love, Angie’s mom. You didn’t actually see Calvin James cut up her body? the prosecutor presses. Geo winces. He’s trying to put the spotlight on Angela’s dismemberment, trying to make it sound as horrific as possible, even though her best friend was already dead by then, which was horrific enough. Now, 14 years down the line Geo has hidden this secret and carried the guilt with her as she forged a new life. She’s a major player at a huge corporation, she’s got a rich fiancStarred Review. With one mystery already solved before the start of the narrative and with much of the story set in prison, this psychological thriller is unlike any other. Enthralled readers will be rooting for Geo in the end." - Library Journal Easy.” He takes a seat beside her on the cold steel bench. “There’s two burgers in there. One’s for me.” What? The burger? Kaiser removes the top of his burger bun and places fries on top of the patty. He replaces the bun and takes a large bite of his own. You signed your plea agreement, nobody cares if I talk to you. The story was set in the present time at the trial of Calvin James, a.k.a The Sweetbay Strangler, who was convicted of the murder of Angela Wong which transpired fourteen years ago. Georgina Shaw, Angela’s best friend, was charged with a five-year sentence in prison being Calvin James’ accomplice. She was sixteen at that time. Geo was at the trial narrating how she was there when Calvin murdered Angela, dismembered her body and buried the body parts in the woods close to her home. Geo’s testimony and conviction ended all the privileges she had in life as a big-time executive, earning a mid-six-figure salary, and concluded her engagement to Shipp Pharmaceutical’s CEO, Andrew Shipp. A five-year stint in prison may not be long enough, but it meant losing grip of any future life could give her. Geo’s other best friend, Kaiser Brody, who was the detective on the case, was disgruntled and furious at her for having lied all those years about Angela’s death. Fourteen years ago, the three of them: Angela, Geo, and Kai were the best of friends. They had a solid friendship which ended when Geo chose to keep quiet. My dad, Geo says. She never had many friends, and after the trial, it was safe to say she had none. I was supposed to get married, but… that’s not happening now.

By the time Geo woke up, the music had stopped and all she could hear was a grunt, followed by heavy breathing. It was when she spotted Calvin on the love seat on top of Angela thrusting himself into her. At first, Geo could not believe what she was seeing but it wasn’t for long before she sees Angela’s eyes as if begging Calvin to stop. It finally dawned on Geo that the sex wasn’t consensual but forced.Jar of Hearts is a modern “Silence of the Lambs” without the liver and fava beans… compelling and creepily suspenseful.” — Aspen Daily News Geo's best friend, Angela Wong, vanished without a trace, when she was in high school. No one found out what happened to her until 14 years later. Her remains were found in the woods behind Geo's house. What happened to Angela that fateful night? How did she become the Sweetbay Strangler's first victim? That is just one of the questions eventually answered by the story. There really ended up being so much more going on here than I initially anticipated. Jar of Hearts was an engrossing tale of love, obsession, jealousy and murder.