An intriguing read. A good mix of mystery and suspense that keeps the reader interested. Also a few surprising twists. A book I would recommend to all.

I received this book from Netgalley prior to publication. This novel is about Clare, a Pulitzer Prize winner from her days in newspaper regarding a case of a missing girl, 11 year old Lucy Devlin. It seems Clare is destined to become Lucy’s disappearance long after the headlines die down and Lucy is still missing. A string of remarkable coincidences keep Clare after the truth of what became of Lucy. And more disturbing, the lives of other children found in a mass grave nearby where Lucy was last seen. Through a cast of characters who may or may not have information regarding the missing and deceased children, Clare embarks on a journey to get to the truth. No matter the cost. Deliciously thrilling. You will not see the ending coming.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

Clare is a TV news executive, previously a print journalist, and agrees to revisit the story that made her famous; the disappearance of 11 year old Lucy Devlin 15 years ago. Lucy has never been found and her mother claims to have a new lead. This lead appears to implicate Elliott, a Democratic candidate for the Senate.

I am giving this novel three stars, being the average of the first half, which was a solid four stars, and then the second half (to which I award two stars) where the plot went absolutely crazy. There were threads of humour through the narration, especially around the fluffy "news" items the station runs, which I enjoyed, and things moved along at a good pace. Clare seemed a fairly undistinguished journalist, despite her oft-referred to Pulitzer prize, requiring others to point things out to her and giving up her source to Elliott without a qualm.

I can't really go into my thoughts about the second half without giving things away, but there were elements that I found fantastic and/or unlikely to the point of impossibility, and one in particular that seemed a dishonest late reveal to the reader. Clare's musings at the end about all the things she couldn't be sure about felt lazy - did the author even know what really happened?