If I take the book apart then this has a good arc of a lost teen and a murder mystery at its core. A disappearing child similar to what happened 20 years ago calls DI Jessie Blake and Dylan to investigate. Dual timelines give it another intriguing layer.
There were few things that caught my eye in this book. The story was set in Scotland, I liked the new locale. The main character, the lead detective Jesse Blake had been written with an intriguing detail by Author Kerry Watts. Jessie was quite a complex character, and her interactions with her colleague Dylan showed a growing bond. And she had her own personal backstory which was hinted at.
But a few things niggled me, there were many, many subplots for each character, and there were just too many characters. Some of them were similar sounding like Jessie and Cassie, two of them were named Dan. The initial quarter had all this shoved down my throat in a confusing manner without it unfolding smoothly and gradually. I was overwhelmed and confused nearly wanted to give up. I couldn’t keep any character straight initially. I plugged on because of the disappearing teen plot.
The story became interesting only when the investigation started from nearly the mid half, and it was quite an enjoyable ride then. All my love for this book was for keeping me guessing about the murderer.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and publisher Bookouture, and this is my journey into its pages, straight from the heart!!
All my reviews can be found here
How do you keep the plot straight when there are too many characters? Do you sit with a paper and pen?
Fifteen-year-old Shannon Ross is missing and her parents are distraught. With her long blonde hair, easy laugh and perfect grades, she’s the girl everyone at school wants to be.
Detective Jessie Blake is called to Inverlochty, the missing girl’s home town in the Scottish Highlands, and finds Shannon was keeping a diary full of friends’ and neighbours’ secrets. She knows the kind, outgoing boy who’s sleeping with his teacher and the quiet woman who’s been having an affair with her best friend’s husband.
Just as Jessie and her team are beginning to understand Shannon’s complicated world, her lifeless body is found on an ice-cold river bank on the outskirts of town. And when Jessie tells Shannon’s family the heart-breaking news, she senses something isn’t right. The loving family is beginning to show cracks. Did Shannon know about her father’s alcohol problems and violent past? Why does Shannon’s mother keep finding excuses to leave the room, when Jessie wants to ask her questions?
As Jessie begins to piece together the final days of Shannon’s life, her own history comes back to haunt her. Putting aside her personal demons, Jessie vows to do whatever it takes to catch Shannon’s killer. But what if the killer is ready to strike first?
Publication Date: 21st March 2019
Publisher: Bookouture
17 Responses
Agh! I think the book needed another round of editing. Too many characters and too many themes plus those character names shouldn’t have made it to the final cut.
It got streamlined but I had to read with concentration till the middle as similar sounding names had me confused 😕
Too many characters often ruin a book for me. Wish this had been a better read for you, Shalini.
This was good from mid half of the book once the characters streamlined.. Maybe I don’t like reading with a lot of concentration 😂😂
I have been thinking about getting this one. I can’t resist a good new series. Sorry to hear about the confusion but hopefully the character detail will be sorted out by book 2. Glad you enjoyed this one esp towards the end. Fab review.
It gets sorted out from the mid half of the book… The initial part overwhelmed me as I didn’t want to concentrate and memorize each character but the murder mystery was good
This is a very cleverly crafted book that will have you intrigued. You will feel complacent once you think you have it all figured out but then you reach an OMG moment when you realise that you really didn’t. I look forward to book 2 of this new series.
Whoa.. Thank you, sir.. This was a well crafted comment..I am impressed..
I agree this was a good book
Did you like it too?
I’m glad there were still some parts that held your attention and affection. 😉
It was a lost child then a dead child a murder mystery so it caught my eye
I’ve read several reviews that say the same about there being multiple and confusing characters, That’s a shame. I really wanted this one to work because I love police procedurals set in Scotland. I was really hoping for a good, new series. Terrific review here Shalini!
It is good just concentrate on the initial part Mackey then the story flows
Excellent review, a new author for me, I’ll start paying attention
Hahaha do that in the beginning and then it is smooth sailing
It takes a lot of talent and/or hard work to include so many characters and it be a positive for the book. The worst for me is similar names. With all the names available, it shouldn’t be hard to use disparate names.
I agree. In the initial part I was multitasking so I got totally confused, had to re read 🙈