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MY REVIEW
This was one of the most different books I have read this year. Thrillers are my forté where I thought I could get the story within a few chapters. This took a completely different direction.
An archivist at the newspapers suddenly found the clipping of a missing child lost decades ago. And she decided to investigate at the behest of her Nan.
A debut by author Anna Wharton, I liked how I constantly kept doubting the actions of Chloe who at different moments was a wonderful granddaughter looking after the well being of a grandmother with dementia.
Then there were those times when I found her actions beguiling. My mind kept swinging like a pendulum. Tick tock tick tock the time went as I continued reading. There were scenes which didn’t make sense, that pushed my curiosity to the limits.
Driven by my need to know along with the author placing Chloe in the home of the missing child as a lodger the book ran at full steam. The last chapter explained it all how the different parts were all connected. It was quite a height I would have never reached.
But something in me felt decidedly off. The ending didn’t explain all the scenes seamlessly. It made a good effort but didn’t leave me feeling satisfied at having spent the time in it.
Maybe Chloe was made too unlikable and her different views had no basis of conviction. She came across as a girl with some wild theories.
A little more TLC to the book would have made it a stupendous thriller.
MY RATING
BOOK LINKS
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AMAZON UK: https://amzn.to/357gpuI
BOOK BLURB
Chloe lives a quiet life. Working as a newspaper archivist in the day and taking care of her Nan in the evening, she’s happy simply to read about the lives of others as she files away the news clippings from the safety of her desk.
But there’s one story that she can’t stop thinking about. The case of Angie Kyle – a girl, Chloe’s age, who went missing as a child. A girl whose parents never gave up hope.
When Chloe’s Nan gets moved into a nursing home, leaving Chloe on the brink of homelessness, she takes a desperate step: answering an ad to be a lodger in the missing girl’s family home. It could be the perfect opportunity to get closer to the story she’s read so much about. But it’s not long until she realizes this couple aren’t all they seem from the outside…
But with everyone in the house hiding something, the question is – whose secrets are the most dangerous?
BOOK DETAILS
Publication Date: April 2021
I downloaded the digital version of the book from an online retail, and this is my journey down its pages, straight from the heart. STRICTLY HONEST and UNBIASED.
All my reviews can be found here.
4 Responses
Great review!
A pity this one fell a little short for you. It’s so hard to find a really good satisfying thriller.
Another miss, I appreciate your reviews, you have save me considerable time and aggravation
Your review has me intrigued, Shalini. I have this on my shelf to read, sooner rather than later I think. ❤📚