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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
This was kind of a stressful and suspenseful read and page turning mystery.
Found it very slow moving the first two thirds of the book. The last third picked up quickly and came to a satisfying end. I liked the use of social media excerpts that showed how unfairly people judge others when they have no actual knowledge of those involved. We are given insight to just how hurtful and destructive those kind of comments can be.
What began as an innocent (and routine) afternoon walk in the park has suddenly spiraled Rachel into the most terrifying chapter of her life. She is now facing every parent's worst nightmare: her son, Ben, has disappeared.
As Ben's parents and the detectives come together to begin search parties and launch a full investigation into this missing child case, Rachel is suddenly faced with new challenges stemming from her recent divorce, her always perfect-on-the-outside sister, and of course, the media attention that comes with any high publicity case. Despite all these obstacles, as any mother would, she just wants to find her son, and she will do anything she can to get him back.
This was a bit longer than the suspense novels I normally read, but nonetheless was a good one. I really enjoyed the character devlopment and exploration specifically, and the fact that Macmillan didn't focus only on that for Rachel. A lot of the hold that this novel had on me stemmed from more than just the overall plot - it was a general curiousity about what was next for these characters and where they were going to go from here to overcome the obstacles they were facing. Through this read, I was able to follow along the journies of some of the prime investigators involved in the case, Rachel's ex-husband, as well as that of her sister.
Overall, a bit long of a read, but not hard to get through. I appreciated the quick pacing of events and the supporting plot development that contibuted to my overall interest and investment in these characters.
As Ben's parents and the detectives come together to begin search parties and launch a full investigation into this missing child case, Rachel is suddenly faced with new challenges stemming from her recent divorce, her always perfect-on-the-outside sister, and of course, the media attention that comes with any high publicity case. Despite all these obstacles, as any mother would, she just wants to find her son, and she will do anything she can to get him back.
This was a bit longer than the suspense novels I normally read, but nonetheless was a good one. I really enjoyed the character devlopment and exploration specifically, and the fact that Macmillan didn't focus only on that for Rachel. A lot of the hold that this novel had on me stemmed from more than just the overall plot - it was a general curiousity about what was next for these characters and where they were going to go from here to overcome the obstacles they were facing. Through this read, I was able to follow along the journies of some of the prime investigators involved in the case, Rachel's ex-husband, as well as that of her sister.
Overall, a bit long of a read, but not hard to get through. I appreciated the quick pacing of events and the supporting plot development that contibuted to my overall interest and investment in these characters.
Wow, this was intense! Rating 4* out 5 stars. Brilliantly told and evocative, despite the over-used theme. Newly-divorced Rachel lets her 8-year old son Ben run ahead together with the dog, at the end of a forest walk. Ben disappears. The dog is later found with a broken leg.
The story is told through the perspective of DI James (Jim) Clemo and Rachel as they rehash the events. It's clear from the start that many things went badly wrong during the investigation. Rachel discovered things about herself and her closest family and friends that deeply rock her world-view.
What struck me more than anything else was the intensity of emotion. Everything was deeply felt and not at all the somewhat distanced run-of-the-mill investigation that I've gotten used to. It is abundantly obvious that the author is a mother and that losing a child is among the worst thing that could ever happen to a person. Public vilification on top of that is enough to crush anyone. This is an incredibly well-told story with many surprises along the way.
The story is told through the perspective of DI James (Jim) Clemo and Rachel as they rehash the events. It's clear from the start that many things went badly wrong during the investigation. Rachel discovered things about herself and her closest family and friends that deeply rock her world-view.
What struck me more than anything else was the intensity of emotion. Everything was deeply felt and not at all the somewhat distanced run-of-the-mill investigation that I've gotten used to. It is abundantly obvious that the author is a mother and that losing a child is among the worst thing that could ever happen to a person. Public vilification on top of that is enough to crush anyone. This is an incredibly well-told story with many surprises along the way.
Enjoyable crime fiction. Would definitely read more of Gilly's work.
Some really good twists here. You can really feel the anguish and the tension for both Rachel and Jim. I really enjoyed the storytelling from both the mother and detective perspective.
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Never managed to grab hold of me and fill me with tension. Could have been told in a book half the size- some parts are SO tedious and unnecessary in my opinion. I didn’t think it would EVER END after the reveal O_O