
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Good, solid missing child, mother blamed story with twists and turns that keep the reader turning the next page. In my case, I read throughout the last two nights. Not just because of the suspense but also because I found that I cared about the characters and wanted them to be alright.
The story is told between really three people ... Rachel Jenner (mother), DI Clemo (lead detective) and a department assigned shrink. There are interwoven stories and I'm not sure if they should have all been included. There's an affair in the department (which I liked); a twist you never saw coming within the family (where I'm thinking What...unnecessary ); the role of social media.
The social media was almost a character itself. And I hate to think that what happened here is not a stretch. People are so cruel when they're able to stay anonymous online. And then here is one of the biggest twists! [So hard to write this review without spoilers!]
The violence to a key character in the end, and then a lack of follow-up did bother me as I didn't feel it had to happen. The book would have worked just as well without another tragedy.
Obviously I cannot say if the child was found or details there. Did I hope the book had a slightly different ending? Yes. But that's just me. The author's debut is so solid and I am going to look for her next one now. The pace is fast, the characters are so solid. I enjoyed how even the Detectives were given depth; not only the family and friends.
4.5 stars of 5.0.
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After thought: This is now a couple hours after I've left my review and I'm thinking about the many books I've been reading lately that are psychological suspense and crime that take place in the U.K. And I'm thinking that part of the reason I have enjoyed them especially is that these stories, if they took place in the U.S., would involve the use of guns. It would seem odd to me if they did NOT since that is simply how crime in the States goes down. But it's maybe even a more creative writing process for these situations in the U.K. because in all of these books, no one possesses the quick fix, a gun. I'm thinking of books like I See You by Clare Mackintosh and The Girl Before by J.P. Delaney.
Born The United Kingdom
Website http://www.gillymacmillan.com/
Twitter gillymacmillan
Genre Fiction, Thriller, Crime
Gilly Macmillan is the internationally bestselling author of WHAT SHE KNEW (previously published as BURNT PAPER SKY in some territories), THE PERFECT GIRL and ODD CHILD OUT, which will be available October 2017.
Gilly is Edgar Award nominated and an ITW award finalist. Her books have been translated into over 20 languages.
She grew up in Swindon, Wiltshire and also lived in Northern California in her late teens. She studied History of Art at Bristol University and then at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London.
Gilly lives in Bristol, UK with her husband, three children and two dogs and writes full time. She’s currently working on her fourth novel.