BOOK DESCRIPTION
One missing boy. Four possible suspects.
When young Leo disappears after leaving school, it sets a chain of events in motion that will change the lives of the residents of a quiet Yorkshire village forever.
Ashton returns home many years after committing a heinous crime as a child, and starts to teach an art class. Lynda, a stern secondary school teacher who unwillingly gave evidence against him, recognises her tutor as the troubled boy from all those years ago, bringing him the unwelcome attention he fears.
When Sarah, a bored housewife, hears about Ashton’s return, she convinces herself he is responsible for Leo’s disappearance and reports him to the police.
Terrified, the boy remains locked in a soundproof room, growing ever more scared of his unpredictable captor.
But just who took Leo and why?
And will he be found before it’s too late?
The chapters of this enthralling thriller alternate between the perspectives of Lynda,Sarah and Emily, three women who despite living not far from each other in the small, picturesque village of Middleham had never had any reason to interact with each other. But,they find themselves drawn together after little Leo Fairland disappears from his school in the neighbouring village of Atenby. Suddenly a cloud of fear, suspicion and paranoia hangs over their quaint little village, feelings that only grow and intensity once news leaks about a newcomers shocking past. Each woman had her own unique personality and character traits and dealt with little Leo's disappearance in her own way. At times there was aspects of Lynda and Sarah's characters that I didn't like but as the story unfolded it was fascinating witnessing how their characters changed and ultimately caused my opinion of them to also alter and change.The author added depth to the women by given each of them their own personal,realistic issues to deal with.
Interspersed throughout the book was chapters that were voiced from the perspective of the newcomer Ashton, a individual who is doing his best to move on from his shocking past but as we all know, you can never outrun your past because it always finds a way of catching up with you. In life things are very often not what they appear to be,it's easy to judge someone when you don't know the truth about their background.
There was also chapters that were voiced from the perspective of the person who had abducted Leo, someone who had some serious mental health issues but had hidden their true identity behind a mask and was hiding within plain sight. Reading the treatment that Leo was subjected to and his pleas to return home to his mum was heart breaking and I couldn't help admiring his bravery when he stood up to his abductor. A intense feeling of unease permeated these chapters,a feeling that intensified as time passed, Leo spent more time in captivity and his captor's behaviour become increasingly more unhinged and unpredictable.
The Author cleverly manipulates the reader into believing that any one of the diverse characters could be Leo's kidnapper. Who had abducted him and what was the motive behind his abduction? The answer to these questions was such a genuine,unexpected shock that I was left reeling and sitting in my favourite reading chair doing a very bad impersonation of Omg cat.
This is a very cleverly written domestic drama/thriller that hooks the reader in from the first page. The twists,turns,clever misdirections and red herrings keep the reader guessing and glued to your kindle. I really enjoyed this captivating read, I haven't read any of this author's previous books and I look forward to reading more in the future.
AUTHOR BIO
When she isn't writing, she enjoys reading many genres of books but especially enjoys psychological thrillers.
In December 2016 she was signed by Bloodhound Books who published her first novel, Undercurrent. Since then she has had eight more books released with another due out in January 2021.
J.A. Baker has four grown-up children, two grandchildren and lives in a village near Darlington with her husband and Border Collie, Theo who is quite possibly the naughtiest dog in the world.
You find out more about J.A.Baker by following her on social media. She welcomes hearing from readers.
www.facebook/thewriterjude
www.twitter/thewriterjude
instagram.com/jabakerauthor
PUBLICATION DATE: 19th January 2021
PURCHASE LINK....
No comments:
Post a Comment