Title: Flytrap
Author: MaskedParkers
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Maturity warning: Some violence.
Blurb: When men vanish around the city, a young, paraplegic detective takes it upon herself to uncover the truth and soon realizes the culprit might be a lot closer to home than she imagined.
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Barbara Gordon thought her career as a promising young detective ended after she was left crippled in a tragic accident. But when men start disappearing around the city, Barbara is given one more opportunity of fulfilling her dream. Convinced her dad's new fiancee is not who she seems, Barbara begins her own investigation and discovers she might be responsible for the recent string of disappearances.
But a darker truth lies just below the surface. If this once would-be detective wants to solve the case, then she must accept the help of some even more mysterious--and possibly dangerous--allies.
Why we love it: We know it's been a while since we updated this recommendations book, but we have the perfect peace offering for you: Flytrap. This is the story of an early-twenties ex-detective whose career got upended by a terrible accident that left her paraplegic. She moves back in with her dad in their hometown, Gotham city. If you recognise this, that would be because the story is an open fanfiction of Batman. But don't worry if you're not into that; the story is definitely an open fanfic, taking an entirely different turn with the city and the characters. This is amazingly done, leading to a beautiful, creative and unique story.
The author does a wonderful job with characterization. Barbara, the main character, feels so rounded, with strengths and flaws, brilliant intuition and stupid decisions. Her being paraplegic really adds to her personality; we get to follow her as she learns to live with this. On top of that, her age as a new adult shines through as well. She feels like the type of person who is still figuring out her place in the world and what she wants to do with her life. Add some super intriguing possible love interests, and you've got some juicy drama going.
But this story is not about the drama. It's about the strange disappearances that keep happening around the city. It's about the monster (perhaps literally?) that is turning the city into chaos, along with Barbara's life. Readers get the clues at the same time as Barbara, which means you get to figure out what's happening in Gotham along with her. Which, really, is the best type of mystery, right? Finally, without spoiling anything, we just want to point out that the ending is absolutely brilliant. So satisfying for a story like this. Therefore, we recommend Flytrap to anyone who's even remotely into mysteries, thrillers or paranormals. Enjoy!
Congratulations on an amazing book, MaskedParkers. Please let us know: which Wattpad story would you recommend to other users?