What’s it all about?:
It was supposed to be the start of a big night out. But when Emily Kane arrives at her sister Carrie’s house, she finds the front door unlocked and no one inside. Dinner’s cooking, the TV’s on. Carrie, her husband and their two daughters are gone.
When the police draw a blank, Emily asks missing persons investigator David Raker to find them. It’s clear someone doesn’t want the family found.
But as he gets closer to the truth, Raker begins to uncover evidence of a sinister cover-up, spanning decades and costing countless lives. And worse, in trying to find Emily’s missing family, he might just have made himself the next target …
What did WE think?:
CHRISSI: Were you immediately gripped by the story or did it take you a while to get into?
BETH: I wasn’t immediately gripped to be honest although I did appreciate the quality of the author’s writing. It didn’t really seem to ”kick off” for me until the middle of the book, but I do occasionally appreciate the slow-burner, as you know! Once it got going, it was intriguing and I did want to read until the end to find out what had happened to Carrie and her family.
BETH: What did you think of David Raker as a character?
CHRISSI: I didn’t really connect with any of the characters in this book. I did find them believable. David was likeable enough, I just didn’t immediately connect with him. This of course, would be very different if I had read the previous books in the series.
CHRISSI: Did you have any idea what had happened to Carrie and her family?
BETH: No, I had no idea and the author didn’t provide many clues which was good for me, as I tend to like to try and work out things for myself rather than being led into it. When we do eventually find out what has gone on, it was incredibly complex with a lot of twists and turns which I appreciated.
BETH: We don’t learn much about Raker’s friend Healy in the novel but he features quite prominently especially at the beginning. Why do you think this is? Would you like to have read more about him?
CHRISSI: I actually found Healy really intriguing. I’m not sure why we didn’t hear more about him. I don’t know if he previously turned up in the books before these. It’s awkward to read a book mid-series, you don’t know what you’ve missed!
CHRISSI: Did you find the use of flashbacks effective?
BETH: The flashbacks were probably one of my favorite parts of the book. They gave you just enough information to keep you interested about what has happened in the past, without giving too much away. On starting the next chapter though, I often had to think back and remind myself what had happened in the “present” time to avoid confusion!
BETH: Did you enjoy the plot of this novel generally speaking?
CHRISSI: I’m sad to say, I didn’t! I thought it was going to be interesting at the start. It felt quite promising, and then I began to lose interest. I think it’s because I felt a bit lost at the beginning with the change of narrators. Again, I don’t know if it’s because I’m reading this book mid series. I don’t usually do that. Overall, for me, it was an okay plot, but seemed a bit dragged out. There are flashbacks to get your head around, (again, might be easier if you’re not reading mid-series with no previous knowledge) and plenty of twists and turns. They kept me interested enough to keep reading though.
CHRISSI: Would you read another book by this author?
BETH: Yes, I probably would. I’m quite interested to read the rest of the books in the series before this one, as I think this one is the fourth? I don’t normally like reading books in the middle of series, but as this was a Richard and Judy book club pick, I relaxed my rules
BETH: What did you think of the ending?
CHRISSI: I don’t want to spoil it for anyone that hasn’t read it, but I did find the ending slightly disappointing. With the story being so complex, I think I was expecting more. I wasn’t expecting the big twist which was a lovely surprise!
Would WE recommend it?:
BETH: Probably!
CHRISSI: Yes! (If you’ve read the others in the series. It personally doesn’t work for me as a standalone but I can see that people would really enjoy it. It’s well written!)
BETH’s Star Rating (out of 5):
CHRISSI’s Star Rating (out of 5):
