This is my second book written by this author. I absolutely LOVED, My Sister is Missing, and immediately put, Without A Trace, on my TBR list. The premise of this book is terrific. I kept turning the pages trying to figure out if four year old Lily ever existed or if Nora had created a fake child and was an unreliable narrator.

I am a big fan of how Carissa Ann Lynch does not write lengthy books, filled with fluff. It is such a treat to finish an entire book in one or two sittings.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Impulse and Killer Reads for my e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5⭐️ rounded up to 4

A little girl has gone missing. Lily was last seen being tucked into bed by her adoring mother, Nova. The next morning, her bed is empty except for a creepy rabbit. Has Niva's abusive ex taken Lily?

This is quite a creepy story that will keep you guessing. As the story progresses, the twists were plentiful. The story is told mainly from three people's point of views and all of them being told in the first person: Ellie, the rookie cop sent to investigate Lily's disappearance, Nova, Lily's mother and Clara, the woman who rents out the cabin where Lilynis taken from. Each character has a backstory and a secret. The chapters are short, I do prefer them that way. I thought I knew where this story was going but I was wrong. I never saw that ending coming. I did enjoy this book and I will read more from this author.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Harper Impulse and Killer Reads and the author Clarissa Ann Lynch for my ARC in exchange for an honest review

This book started off well but wasn't really my cup of tea and I soon got bored. I couldn't get interested in the characters and it wasn't a page turner in my opinion.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Impulse Killer Reads for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Harper Impulse and Killer Reads for an advance copy of Without a Trace, a stand alone thriller set in Northfolk, West Virginia.

Rookie officer, Ellie James, is called out to a potential kidnapping. Nova Nesbitt’s child, Lily, is missing and Nova suspects her husband, Martin whose abuse forced her to flee from Tennessee. Then Nova disappears.

I must admit that Without a Trace did not hold my attention in the first half for a variety of reasons. The novel is told from three points of view, all in the first person, Ellie, Nova and Nova’s neighbour and landlady, Clara. Fortunately each chapter is labelled so there is no confusion about whose voice is speaking but the constant switching between them does not allow the reader to settle and get immersed, especially as each character has quite a backstory and big secrets so their narrative switches between the past and present.


The novel itself is very well done with plenty of twists and turns and a large dose of suspense and intrigue as the reader wonders how it will pan out. It is not a long novel so it moves along at a fast clip and becomes absorbing as the reader is given more information and gets accustomed to the characters. It is a complicated plot, mostly designed to hammer home the lengths some women have to go to to escape their abusers. I’m in two minds about this because while it is a subject that needs discussion I’m not overly comfortable with it being hijacked for entertainment as it is in this short, action packed novel.

I also didn’t find the characters interesting. The rookie, Ellie, is difficult to take seriously and her comments at the end about what she has learned are trite in the face of the subject matter. Nova is the stereotypical battered woman so she isn’t developed much past her experiences and Clara is a nut job, impossible to explain without spoilers.

Many readers will enjoy Without a Trace as it is a well written thriller. It just didn’t appeal to me for its format.

A little girl has gone missing.

Lily was last seen being tucked into bed by her adoring mother, Nova. But the next morning, the bed is empty except for a creepy toy rabbit.

Has Nova’s abusive ex stolen his “little bunny” back for good?

At first, Officer Ellie James assumes this is a clear custody battle. Until she discovers that there are no pictures of the girl and her drawers are full of unused toys and brand new clothes that have never been worn…

Thank you to net galley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book it was a great experience

I enjoyed reading this book. It had a good story to it. I liked the variety of characters in it. It is my first book read by this author. I hope to read more books by this author.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

Not really psychological or thrilling, I felt some of the characters as a mother but all the characters read so flat, protagonists included, it was hard to get emotionally invested in any other part of the story. Not my thing.

Without a Trace by Carissa Ann Lynch is a fast-paced thriller that will leave the reader breathless. This is one to be read in a single session, as the plot is full-on and entirely gripping.

Fleeing from her abusive husband Martin, Nova Nesbitt and daughter Lily believe they have found safety at a cabin on the property of Appleton Farm. But when Lily goes missing from the cabin, policewoman Ellie James is on the hunt for her father, assuming that the case is a straightforward custody issue. Ellie is on a mission to not only find Lily, but to prove to her fellow officers that she is worthy of their respect. Nova's landlady Clara is also on the scene, and is harbouring some very dark secrets of her own. What is really happening at Appleton Farm?

Told primarily in the alternating perspectives of Nova, Clara, and Ellie, the story unfurls at a 'blink and you miss it' pace, and the twists and turns are plentiful, making this a dark and compelling read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Impulse and Killer Reads for this ARC.

Whoa. This was a creepy premise, that kept me wondering what was really going on. There were some good twists, but I kind of wish when we were seeing from multiple perspectives that they didn’t just say what they’d done in the past, like I think things could’ve been revealed better. That said, I read it in one sitting, and I was super creeped out.