A Matter of Chance by Julie Maloney
Published by She Writes Press on April 10, 2018
Genres: Mystery, Thrillers, Women’s Fiction
Pages: 368
Format: ARC
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When eight-year-old Vinni Stewart disappears from a Jersey shore town, Maddy, her distraught single mother, begins a desperate search for her daughter. Maddy’s five-year journey leads her to a bakery in Brooklyn, where she stumbles upon something terrifying. Ultimately, her artist neighbor Evelyn reconnects Maddy to her passion for painting and guides her to a life transformed through art.
Detective John D’Orfini sees more than a kidnapping in the plot-thickening twists of chance surrounding Vinni’s disappearance, but his warnings to stay away from the investigation do not deter Maddy, even when her search puts her in danger. When the Russian Mafia warns her to stop sniffing into their business, Maddy must make a choice whether to save one child―even if it might jeopardize saving her own.
I just loved the cover of this book when I was browsing through NetGalley one night. I had never heard of the author, Julie Maloney, nor had I heard of the book, A Matter of Chance. I read the synopsis of the book and I knew I wanted to read it, so I was thrilled when I was approved to read and review it. First I will say that I learned that while Julie Maloney is no stranger to writing, A Matter Of Chance is her debut novel, and that would explain the fact that I’ve never heard of her before. Here are my thoughts on the book:
A Matter of Chance is a very moving story about a mother’s undying love for her missing child. The story is told in the first person by Maddy, as she takes readers along on her search for her missing 8-year old daughter.
Maddy Stewart is a single mother and fashion editor in Manhattan. She goes on vacation at the Jersey shore with her daughter, Vinni. She is walking along the beach, and recognized her neighbors. It appeared to Maddy that the husband needed medical attention, so without thinking, in a split second Maddy leaves Vinni with the man’s wife to go make a call for help. When she returns, both her daughter and the wife are gone.
Readers follow the police investigation as well as Maddy’s own investigation into her daughter’s disappearance. They also share Maddy’s pain as she mourns the disappearance of her daughter with each passing day and then year. The local authorities don’t seem to want to share their progress with Maddy, but she continues her own search. She is warned repeatedly by the officers that she is hindering their progress. Maddy remains steadfast that her daughter is still alive with each passing year. Detective John D’Orfini sees more than a kidnapping in the plot-thickening twists of chance surrounding Vinni’s disappearance
Maddy’s five-year journey eventually leads her to a bakery in Brooklyn, New York. The Russian Mafia warns her to stop sniffing into their business, and it is then that Maddy is forced to make a choice whether to save a child―even if saving that child might jeopardize saving her own daughter.
We feel Maddy’s sorrow and we cling to her belief that Vinni is still alive, even as the months and years pass with little credible sign of her daughter’s whereabouts. A Matter of Chance is a very compelling mystery. The author grabs readers’ attention right from the very first page of this story, and she doesn’t release that hold until we close the last page. I look forward to Julie Maloney’s next novel!
JULIE MALONEY, the third of four daughters, was born and raised in Newark, New Jersey. She has worked in the arts as a performer and educator her entire life and has performed professionally for several modern dance companies in New York City. Julie was the artistic director, choreographer and principal dancer of the Julie Maloney Dance Company for thirteen years.
She is the founder/director of WOMEN READING ALOUD, a non-profit organization devoted to promoting women writers. Begun in 2003, WRA continues to attract writers throughout the world. Ms. Maloney is a trained workshop leader in the Amherst Writers and Artists Method, initiated in Amherst, Massachusetts. She holds a BA in English from New Jersey City University and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of North Carolina in the USA where she was awarded a fellowship and honored as a Distinguished Alumna. She is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Awards where she worked as an Artist in the Schools.
Julie lives with her husband outside of New York City.
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