This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Reviewed by Zoe Lea
Lisa Kallisto is an over-worked, under paid, harried mother of three with a full time job caring for unwanted pets whilst running a family home. Her husband, Joe, works as a self-employed taxi driver, and like most people, they spend their days juggling their responsibilities and trying to make ends meet. But their everyday chaotic lives screech to a halt when Lisa overlooks something, and the end result is that a child goes missing. Not her child, but her best friend’s daughter, she disappears on Lisa’s watch.
Set in the Lake District in the run up to Christmas, the community arranges search parties in the frozen landscape whilst Lisa desperately tries to make things right. As the festive season approaches, Lisa begins investigating and in doing so, peels away the layers of her town and closest friends and discovers the secrets and dark truths that lurk beneath.
I loved this book. It’s a page turner from the start and one that I struggled to put down. The characters are simply wonderful, totally identifiable and full of snappy dialogue. The narrative shifts between first person and third person, between that of Lisa Kallisto and Detective Constable Joanne Aspinall as she works on the case. It gives the book a rapid pace and a real sense of urgency grips the reader with little time for idyll words.
10/10
Paula Daly’s Website