Two sisters disappear and only one returns. Abby, a forensic psychiatrist, is tasked with trying to peel back the layers and learn the truth of what's happened to Emma (the missing sister). Can we believe everthing that Cass is telling us? We are drip fed information about the sister's childhood throughout the novel and it's a sad tale. This is a good solid read with plenty of pause for though moments intertwined within the pages. I loved the characters especially Abby! .This is quite a chilling and unsettling and really stays with you long after reading.

I read and enjoyed AINF and was so excited about this book, but it didn't quite hit the spot for me. I really loved the premise and the beginning was gripping, but the constant switching between characters was confusing and the second half of the book felt a little flat to me. I however think it is a personal preference as often I don't enjoy these style of books. Many do, and Walker's writing is beautiful and very skilled.
Thanks to NetGalley for the copy of this book.

Emma In The Night

One night, 15 year old Cass and 17 year old Emma go missing. Then, one day, three years later Cass turns up at her home, but without her sister...where is Emma and what is Cass hiding? Something isn't adding up with her story.

I really enjoyed this story, it completely captivated me. Wendy Walker has written another absolute corker of a book with Emma In The Night, and I highly recommend that everyone reads it, you won't be disappointed! Five stars from purplebookstand!

I was lucky to be provided with an advanced copy of this book and voluntarily reviewed it.

Without feeling like a text book, this is the best and most detailed story of a narcissist I've read. It goes into great analytical detail of what a narcissist is and what their needs, feelings and insecurities are.

Sisters, Emma and Cassandra Tanner, have been missing for three years. Many presumed they're dead until Cassandra turns up on her mother's doorstep. Cassandra was not the favoured child as her and Emma were growing up and their narcissistic mother, (Mrs Martin to her daughters!) without laying a finger on them did and said some cruel things, things which play on the mind, make you learn to think like they do, act like they do. Therefore, when Cassandra returns after being missing for three years, she plays her mother like a fiddle – drip, drip, little bits of information, mentally torturing her mother. Only Cassandra knows the truth of the missing years but Dr Abby Winter has worked most of it out and is one step ahead at the crucial time.

The chapters alternate between Cassandra (Cass), written in first person, and Abby, written in third person, and give points of view of the 'missing time' from Cass and the development of the police investigation from Abby. I really liked the personal, up close chapters written in first person and they were complimented by Abby's third person view.

If you really like to psycho-analyse, this is the book for you.

Teenage sisters, Emma and Cass, disappeared three years ago. One day Cass turns up on her mothers doorstep on her own. She has a bizarre story about the last few years, saying her and Emma were living on a small island with another couple. Emma was pregnant when they left and when she had the baby the other couple took over it's care. Cass says she has escaped the island and has to get back there to rescue Emma and her child. The book was ok but sometimes read like non-fiction. There were no characters that I liked, either.

This book totally threw me into a different direction to where I thought it was going! Well done Wendy Walker you fooled me! Cleverly constructed, a great who dunnit that will keep you guessing. In fact I still have some thoughts on this book and I finished it a couple of weeks back. It has left me speechless to be honest.
I thought it was going to be a fairly straight forward kidnapping case, while I was reading the first few pages. I was wrong.

This book is a definite page-turner. I challenge anyone not to be hooked from chapter one. Incredible read, highly recommend

If I were to sum this novel up in one phrase, it would be ‘the devil is in the details’ – Emma in the Night is extremely well plotted. As Cass tells the story of her return, you have to pay attention to the details, there’s certainly a mysterious element hidden in the details she reveals but it’s so intricately woven in, I doubt, even the most seasoned readers will figure it out. And that’s what I loved most about this novel, the pace was very slow, almost like Cass was saying, ‘pay attention, I’m explaining things slowly for a reason.’

The mystery surrounding Emma’s disappearance was the plot, but it was also so much more than that. Walker exposed this family – siblings, parents, step-parents, step-siblings, she stripped back their layers and showed us the dysfunction at the heart of this family, and this can be explained in no other way than it was extremely dark and unsettling. Again, ‘the devil is the details’, in subtle fashion, this family is exposed.

At first, I wasn’t sure if I could get on board with this slow pace, and Cass’s extremely long and detailed accounts but as the pages turned, I knew something sinister was coming, this wasn’t just an author using words to fill a novel, something dark was coming. When I reflect back on this novel, I think it was so wonderfully told – everyone loves a fast-paced, action-packed thriller but Walker has shown a slow-burner can be just as effective, how a slower pace with details in excess, can pull you into a novel just as well.

Alongside the narrative of Cass, we have that of Abby, or should I say Dr Winter, Forensic Psychologist. She consulted on the case when the girls first went missing and three years later, she is back to hopefully find out what happened. I love books that feature a forensic psychologist, I think they are a wonderful addition to any novel because, not only do they give you that expert perspective, so passionate they are, you wonder how much of their findings are a reflection of their own lives.

Emma in the Night won’t be for everyone but I urge you to take your time with this book and pay attention to it – ‘the devil is in the details’.

Good descriptions of dysfunctional families, but too 'bitty' for me with much going back and forward from the different characters.

I was very impressed with this gripping read, what a dark but compelling story, full of twists, turns and deep, psychological meanings.
The language flowed easily and pulled me into the book straight away, I liked the characters and really felt for Cass, she came alive for me it was so well written.
Hard to read at times, I just could not put this down, I would definitely recommend.

I DNF'd this book at 33%.

I made a strong effort to push through as far as I could but it was too slow and boring and the writing irritated me beyond my bounds of tolerance.

I found the writing to be quite pretentious. The characters, regardless of age or gender all sound like a 55 year old woman.

The plot is boring and structured badly. 33% into the book and there has not been a single action scene. The entire first third of the book consists of only talking and introspect, each containing nothing but masses of exposition and irrelevant information.

The plot could have easily been written in a more exciting way. Instead of Cass coming home right at the beginning and then chapter upon chapter of her talking about what happened, the story could have been written in real time with suspenseful action scenes that would have kept me gripped. It wouldn't have spoiled anything, as the whereabouts and circumstances of Emma and Cass' captivity are given right at the start of the book. It seems like the narrator wanted to infodump the plot to make way for the case study on narcissism, which is the real focus of the book. It is not a thriller.

Chapters repeat information given in previous chapters, just spoken from a different viewpoint. For example, In a chapter from Cass' perspective, she tells her parents and the FBI agents, in detail, what her captors look like. Then, in Dr Winters' chapter, she tells the reader that Cass described what the captors look like. Then, in a following chapter from Cass' perspective, she AGAIN goes over the fact she made a statement describing what her captors look like. It's unnecessary and annoying.

Characters also tell each other things that they each already know, for the sake of exposition. For example, 2 FBI agents tell each other (the reader) specific details of a statement they'd both just been present at. They don't discuss those details, they just state them to each other so the reader knows what was said, and that's that. This is just amateur.

The conversations are unrealistic and drag on, laden with too much description and off-subject blathering to be enjoyable or believable.

The way Cass talks about her captors and her 3-year imprisonment by them is much too poetic and whimsical. She says she's desperate to find her older sister who was held captive with her, but when she's asked specific questions for details that would lead the police directly to her, Cass goes off on flowery tangents about how some people have a scream inside them and some people don't. She talks as if she's standing in front of a class reciting an essay on classic literature rather than realistically trying to aid an investigation and telling what happened from the viewpoint of an emotionally damaged teenager.

Another pet peeve is the narrator over-explains things that are blatantly obvious. I don't like to be patronised and constantly reminded of the theme the narrator is trying to make evident. I'm also not a fan of gratuitous animal abuse.

The writing is not terrible, I've read a lot worse, but the way the book is formatted destroys any hope of suspense or mystery and wastes a perfectly good plot.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for sending me this book free of charge in return for an honest review.

A compelling story about family dynamics. Kept me on the edge of my chair, what was real and what was made up, you have to find your way through the clues. Good read

Three years ago Emma and her younger sister Cass vanished without a trace. Just an abandoned car and many unanswered questions were left. Now Cass has reappeared with a tale to tell about where they've been and why Emma isn't with her. But as she reveals more the FBI begin to realise there's more to this family than they had previously realised...

Emma in the Night is a true psychological thriller with emphasis on the psychological. For me it opened up loads of questions about narcissism which to me previously had just meant a vain and selfish person. I hadn't realised how much more complicated it was and for me it made this such an interesting read. And luckily it's plot isn't too shabby either. It is told both from the perspective of Cass and Dr Abigail Winter, forensic psychologist for the FBI. Abby has had her fair share of experience with families like Cass has grown up in and although she has tried to stay detached her instincts about the girls and their family screams at her something isn't right about these people.....and of course it isn't much of a spoiler to say she's spot on. From start to finish I was engrossed.

I received this from Netgalley for an honest review.

Wow! Can't put it any other way.
This book totally blew me away, I read this in just 2 days, with a baby that's quite an achievement. I'm off to find more books by Wendy Walker.

Loved it, read it in 2 days.
Didn't know where this messed up family story was going. Kept me guessing. Well worth a read.

When Cass Tanner appears on her mother’s doorstep three years after last being seen (which was also the same night her sister Emma disappeared), it’s an arrival no one is expecting, especially – it seems – her mother who, in the intervening years, has styled herself as a grieving parent and now seems uncertain how to act.
Missing, presumed dead (I think it’s fair to say), Cass’ return reopens a case FBI forensic psychiatrist Abby Winter has never been able to let go of. In fact, it has haunted her, harming her relationship with her colleagues and her career. Now, not only does she have the chance to see if her theories about the sisters disappearance were right, she gets to kill some of her demons and, just maybe, get a decent nights sleep.
For Cass, there is only one thing she wants – to find Emma. She claims the two have been kept hostage these last three years before she was able to escape, promising Emma she would get help. For the FBI to find Emma though, they have to know where she is…and for that they need Cass to tell her story, which she does, slowly offering up a trail of breadcrumbs which seem to lead nowhere and everywhere but Emma. It’s no wonder Abby is convinced there is more to Cass and Cass’ story than meets the eye.
As a reader, figuring out if Abby is right is one of the things I found so compelling about this book. I am used to unreliable characters but Cass was in a different league and Abby wasn’t much better at times – I couldn’t be sure if she was seeing the reality of the situation or trying to make her version of the facts fit. I really didn’t know if I was coming or going as the story unfolded as a result.  Not that this is a bad thing as I love a bit of intrigue and family drama and there was plenty here.
With the story alternating between Cass and Abby, the truth does start to trickle out…along with plenty of lies. Which is the second thing I thought made this book a compelling read. Because the lies aren’t there to just add twists and turns, they completely turn the book on its head once your realise they are important. You need to pay attention to them (at least if you don’t want to be as confused as I was at times!)
Walker was really clever here. I started off thinking I was reading one type of book, then finished realising I had been reading something else. Clever, clever, clever. Add to this strong writing and strong characters, who I can’t say I liked but who definitely intrigued me, and I was left with a book I liked a lot and would definitely recommend.

What a grea read this was , I started it not really in the mood for reading and couldn't put it down , absolutely raced through this , not knowing what had happened to Emma and her sister really had me intrigued as we find out gradually how it played out the story is told from the point of view of Cass who is Emma's sister and who comes home after being missing for 3 years without her sister , we slowly unravel a tale of a narcissistic mother who played each of her daughters against each other , mental abuse and a dysfunctional relationship with there mothers husband and his son .
It was very cleverly plotted and really well written and I loved it , I had guessed the twist but it certainly didn't disappoint me , excellent read . Thank you

Really enjoyed this book, loved the twists and turns and the back story leading up to the girls disappearance, didn't guess the ending but it was very satisfying and added up all the loose ends. It was my first time reading a book by this author but would definitely read another.

This tale begins with two girls that are missing, both presumed dead. No bodies were ever found, so what really happened to Emma and Cass?! They disappeared three years ago and many presumptions were made, but nothing ever set in stone. This unusual thriller is one that really messed with my head, but trust me when I say that I enjoyed every second of it.


Emma and Cass are sisters and they both had a very unusual relationship with their mother. They would have to constantly tell her that she is an amazing mum, that they love her and that she is incredibly beautiful. It seems to me that this woman, their mother, has some very deep psychological problems. For her own children to need to reassure her all the time seems very strange to me. Could this unusual behaviour be the route to the girls disappearance?! So many questions arose from the details of this story and Wendy Walker handles the topic of behavioural and personality disorders in a disturbing yet insightful way.

Dr Abby Winter of the FBI who is involved in the case, has been woken up by a telephone call. Apparently Cass has returned after three years missing and she is ready to tell the tale of what actually happened to them. Many people speculated that it was some sort of suicide pact between the girls. Others claimed that the girls were seen arguing on the night of the disappearance, so perhaps they both hurt each other?! I was absolutely mesmerised to find out what actually happened and if my original thoughts and feelings were correct.

Some of the stories Cass comes out with on where the girls went are horrifying but very realistic. A bit too realistic perhaps… is she telling the truth?! You can certainly see that Wendy Walker has worked hard on the path this book takes and I am incredibly impressed with her imagination. I will definitely be checking out her other books when I get a chance!

I enjoyed the way each chapter is told from a couple of perspectives so that you can see the different angles of the story. It is an exciting way of keeping hold of our attention so that we don’t get bored. Authors need readers to want to devour their books in one sitting which is what I feel Wendy has achieved.

A hidden theme I loved in the book is definitely one of ‘hope’. Even though Emma in the Night didn’t end how I wanted it to (purely for selfish reasons!), it definitely finished in the right way. It shows that if you persevere the good will always outweigh the bad and evil will show itself. That is definitely what Cass achieved and she got the justice she needed. That may sound like gobbledegook to you but if you read it (it is out from today by the way guys!) then you will definitely understand where I am coming from.

A huge thank you to HQ Stories and Netgalley for providing me with an early e-copy for review. I enjoyed it a lot!

My final word: Dysfunctional.

I was a huge fan of Wendy Walkers last novel All is Not Forgotten which was for me, one of the easiest 5 stars I have ever given. So when a copy of Emma in the Night winged it’s way to me, I was kind of nervous to even start it just in case it didn’t live up to my expectations. But it delivered a punch straight to my gut within the first few pages and that feeling didn’t let up until I finally, and very reluctantly, put the finished book down. Not only did Emma in the Night live up to my expectations, it hit them into the middle of next week! I loved it just as much as All is not Forgotten, and possibly just a teeny bit more!

Told over the period of a week by Cass who turns up on her mother’s doorstep three years after disappearing with her sister Emma following a family argument. We are then drip fed flashbacks to Cass and Emma’s upbringing with their narcissist, manipulator of a mother whilst also listening to Cass telling the FBI and a forensic psychologist what happened to the sisters after that night. Wendy Walker slowly sets the traps for her readers and I fell into all of them. How she can manipulate my emotions to such an extreme is beyond me, making me care about what happened to this extended family of the most unlikable, egocentric and destructive characters I have ever met. Cass herself proved that, although an unreliable narrator, we are never quite sure of her own emotions which she keeps tightly controlled inside her. One of the most powerful quotes here was this one

I think there are two types of people. Ones who have a scream inside them and ones who don’t.
Cass was repressing her scream throughout and when it finally emerged, I found the resulting emotions very difficult to handle. Not many authors can wring me dry but Wendy Walker has an intrusive style of writing that seems to burrow it’s way into your subconscious, bringing to the surface long forgotten memories and the resulting feelings. She is very, VERY clever at what she does!

This cleverly constructed storyline grabbed me in its entirety, unnerving me to the point that I had to put it down at one point-it all got a bit too much for me!! But I quickly realised that I had to do the “band aid” thing and “rip it off” quickly, hoping it would hurt less in the end! So I picked it up again and read to the end. And what a brilliant and perfectly plotted ending it was too.

I can highly recommended Emma in the Night. It’s a fascinating psychological thriller weaving around the lives of one of the most dysfunctional families I have ever come across! I absolutely loved it!