Published by Random House - Ballantine Genres: Adult Fiction, Crime, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, suspense, thriller, Women's Fiction
Format: ARC, eBook
“Because everyone wants to be looked for, whether they realize it or not.”
1993
Anna Hart, a seasoned missing persons detective, flees San Francisco after a horrific tragedy affects her personally. She returns to Mendocino where she lived as a child with her foster parents. When she arrives, she learns that a local teenager has gone missing. She teams up with the town’s sheriff, Will, who just happens to be a childhood friend of hers. Together they look for the missing girl, uncover some truths and slowly, very slowly, readers learn what brought Anna back to Mendocino.
I typically do not enjoy slow burns but this one captivated me from the start. Missing persons/missing teens, trauma, pain, are all laid bare in this novel. The characters are well rounded, flawed, damaged and undeniable real. They are facing and enduring trauma and heartache. Their pain is palpable.
This is a beautifully written and researched book. Paula McLain depicts an investigation which occurs before many advances in forensics and use of the internet. Her characters go with his/her “gut” and good old fashioned detective skills. The author shows the stress on the investigations, the families, and the community. The book also ended in a way which had me hoping and crossing my fingers that I would see both Anna, Cricket, and Will again.
This book is a reminder that we do not live in a fairy tale world and horrible things happen. We cannot turn a blind eye and hope that if we do not acknowledge those things that they do not exist.
Here are some FACTS:
1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys are sexually abused before the age of 18.
Nearly 70% of all reported sexual assaults (including assaults on adults) occur to children ages 17 and under.
More than 20% of children are sexually abused before the age of 8.
More than 1 in 3 women and nearly 1 in 4 men have experienced sexual violence involving physical contact at some point in their lives.
***** facts taken from this website https://sexualabuse.org.nz/resources/… and https://www.doorwaysva.org/our-work/e…
Thank you to Random House Publishing group – Ballantine and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
A powerful and thought provoking book.