This book had a thrilling Middle and ending, but the beginning was too slow for me. It had interesting characters and a couple twists I didn’t see coming. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the copy in exchange for review.

This story begins with the kidnapping of a young child, and the repercussions this has on her very dysfunctional family and the officers investigating it.

Her family, outwardly rich and powerful, is steeped in both sexual and emotional abuse. The police officer investigating the crime is also carrying personal luggage, following the kidnapping and murder of her own daughter some years before. These events underpin the actions taken by the characters, and as we learn more of their personal lives, we begin to understand why they are acting in the way they do. There are many characters for whom the reader will feel great sympathy.

When the book began, I wasn't sure I would like it. It seemed very heavy with descriptive adjectives, as if this were a new author trying to follow a formula. The narrator changes each chapter, and the timeline bounces back and forth. While this was irritating for a few chapters, I soon fell into the rhythm and it actually worked very well.
By the end, I was taken aback with how the plot was unfolding and couldn't wait to find out what would finally happen. A strong book, handling difficult emotions without resorting to anything gratuitous.

Thank you net galley and the publisher for letting me have the chance to read this book first time reading her books had on the edge of my seat

For Detective Alice Garner, her latest case involving the disappearance of a judge’s daughter, cuts a little too close to home. Alice’s own daughter was kidnapped and murdered and the anguish she sees in the missing girl’s mother reminds her of her own debilitating grief. Still, Alice has a feeling that Charlotte Burke is feeling more than just fear for her missing daughter and she believes the answers lie within the opulent home of the powerful and prestigious Burke family. This book had me by the throat, it was nerve-wracking, scary and just plain sad. Maybe not the best read for a new mom