Found, Near Water

Rena Sutherland wakes from a coma into a mother’s nightmare. Her daughter is missing – lost for four days – but no one has noticed; no one has complained; no one has been searching.  As the victim support officer assigned to her case, Christine Emmett puts aside her own problems as she tries to guide Rena through the maelstrom of her daughter’s disappearance.  A task made harder by an ex-husband desperate for control; a paedophile on early-release in the community; and a psychic who knows more than seems possible.  And intertwined throughout, the stories of six women; six daughters lost.  A gripping, dark and harrowing tale that is all too believable.

Full review Friday, I loved this one!!!! Five stars and was totally captivated! Hayton tells a tremendous story.

http://shetreadssoftly.blogspot.com/2014/12/found-near-water.html

Found, Near Water by Katherine Hayton Katherine Hayton Publication: 7/2/2014 eBook; 214 pages ISBN-13: 9780473279936 http://www.kathay1973.com/

Rena Sutherland wakes from a coma to discover her daughter's been missing for days. No one's noticed, no one's complained, no one's searching.  The victim support officer assigned to her case, Christine Emmett puts aside her own problems as she tries to guide Rena through the maelstrom of her daughter's disappearance. A task made harder by an ex-husband desperate for control; a paedophile on early-release in the community; and a psychic who knows more than seems possible. And flowing beneath everything is a crime - perpetrated across generations - pulling them into its wake.

My Thoughts:
Found, Near Water by Katherine Hayton is a highly recommended, well-paced mystery/crime novel set in New Zealand.

As a former psychiatrist, Christine Emmett should be the best victim support counselor around, but as the leader and member of a support group for women who have lost daughters, she is dealing with past trauma of her own that is still playing havoc with her life. When DSS Erik Smith of the Christchurch Police Department contacts her to talk to Rena Sutherland as her victim support officer, he really wants her to decipher the truth. Rena has woken up in the hospital after a car accident and wants to know where her daughter, Chloe, is. The trouble is that no one saw her daughter and the police aren't even sure they really believe she has a daughter. Once Christine determines that Rena is telling the truth, there is a mad scramble to look for her daughter. It's been days since the accident and so the trail is cold.

Interspersed between chapters are the stories of Terry, Ilene, Kendra, and Joanne, the 4 members of Christine's support group who have all endured the disappearance or death of their daughters. Adding to the tension is a known pedophile who has been released from prison, Rena's controlling ex-husband, and a psychic who claims to know where Chloe can be found.

Found, Near Water  was a riveting read for me. I found all the characters well developed and believable. You never know exactly what trauma a personal tragedy can extract on an individual's emotional health. The individual stories are powerfully written and emotionally charged. It makes the search for Chloe even more urgent and also more difficult for Christine to watch since she is still suffering from her own tragedy. The ending was not predictable and actually a surprise for me, which is nice. As a bonus, I rather enjoyed the New Zealand setting.

My Kindle edition was courtesy of Katherine Hayton for review purposes.

Every parent’s worst nightmare is coming true in Rena Sutherland’s life. She awakes in a hospital to find her daughter has been missing for four days. Victim Support Officer is assigned to Rena and is doing her best to help, but an angry ex husband, a pedophile and a savvy psychic muddy the waters, putting everyone on edge

osted first to Blog Critics as Book Review:'Found, Near Water,' A Suspenseful Mystery by Katherine Hayton.

The past is often just that, something that occurs and then is beyond redemption.  Yet occasionally there are secrets that urge themselves forward. Those little tidbits that had been buried but now find a way to change the lives of those whose memories they had been hidden within. 

In Found, Near Water by Katherine Hayton, missing and exploited children are a focus for a support group headed up by Christine, a victim support councilor and coordinator who works with the police in various situations.  The yammering and neediness of her focus group is beginning to wear on her, and her impatience is keeping new members away. That didn’t faze the members already aboard for they want the spotlight for their own pain. Having become almost friends they are comfortable talking about issues, yet Christine is struggling to focus.  Her irritation makes her curt for they have all had their moments and she is fighting her own anguish. 

When the police ask for her assistance with a young woman injured in a car wreck, she finds herself intrigued. Why does this woman insist that her young daughter is now missing, taken from the car after or during the accident? Wouldn’t the woman’s husband know if her daughter was missing, for he does not come forward?  There is something quite strange going on. The woman seems quite delusional, yet as Christine begins asking questions she is shocked. The woman does have a young daughter, and no one seems to know where she is. On further questioning, she realizes that there is a strange tenseness, a compartmentalization that surrounds Rena, the young mother. 

As Christine begins her perusal of the situation, she also keeps in touch with her husband through text, trying to heal her own relationship woes. She is torn between duty and her own past, but this case is one that pulls her out of her own doldrums. Where is the child and why did the father not report her missing? Although out of the country when called about his wife, no mention was made of a child. 

Now the police must reevaluate the evidence and dig much deeper in their effort to find the truth. Little do they know that this strange and unusual disappearance will open a “Pandora’s box” of disturbing offenses occurring over the years, putting to rest one of the most sadistic of perpetrators.  

Hayton has given us a mystery with teeth. Whenever it comes to missing and exploited children there is always that painful feeling, for there is an innocence lost when a child disappears. The edginess of the story begins right from the beginning and the missing children are threaded together into a strange and eerie nightmare of questions and answers. The characters are in pain and have their own mistakes and flaws that they try to overcome, and each deals with their pain in their own fashion. You are amazed at the resilience that helps to hold them together.  

The mystery itself is well done and just as strange as the rest of the brew that spews from the pages.  As the facts are all entered, Hayton throws in another bit of incongruity as she details the background of Christine herself. 

If you enjoy mystery and suspense this is a great book to add to your collection. There is a satisfaction as the situation breaks loose and the puzzle is solved that will make this one you will want to read over and over.  Hayton is an author to watch for.

This was heartbreaking. So many mothers' lives destroyed, so many children lost. I've often wondered how parents cope when a child dies/goes missing - and this book clearly shows that they don't.
This story focused mainly on one woman, Christine, and the majority of the novel is portrayed through her point of view. But interspersed throughout are the tales of other mothers, women in Christine's support group, and each story is different and compelling.
The author writes confidently of hope, love, despair and resolution, and the enduring sadness and guilt that a parent carries with them when they lose a child. In spite of the bleakness of the subject matter, this is a darned good read.

This book is one of those that I loved more and more as I kept reading. I admit at the start I was a touch unsure and was a bit confused by the many character introductions but I soon found my groove and the plot and pace of the book began to really take off.

Rena Sutherland wakes from a coma into a mother’s nightmare. Her daughter is missing – lost for four days – but no one has noticed; no one has complained; no one has been searching.

As the victim support officer assigned to her case, Christine Emmett puts aside her own problems as she tries to guide Rena through the maelstrom of her daughter’s disappearance.

A task made harder by an ex-husband desperate for control; a paedophile on early-release in the community; and a psychic who knows more than seems possible.

And intertwined throughout, the stories of six women; six daughters lost.

This is not your typical crime novel, although it does indeed involve the police, forensics, missing persons and the search for a killer(s). It's different because of the intense human element we see as well from the women that are all connected by a support group set up in the local community for those women who have lost a child. They are interlinked by grief, loss, and unfinished business.

As a massive hunt ensues to the relief of a frantic mother who struggled to have the police believe her daughter was stolen from her and the plot is taut, chilling at times and I could not stop reading, feeling the desperation of this mother wanting to find her child. I am a mother, I got it! I felt close to tears and panic too. It was harrowing.

A psychic offers help to the investigation and to the surprise of all those doubting her she does help lead them to some clues. There are some fantastic twists in the plot, things I did NOT see coming that just amazed me and I really felt were very clever.

All the characters are believable and intriguing. The location, set in New Zealand was extremely atmospheric and ideal to the overall book in my opinion. With plenty of suspense and intrigue, I enjoyed this read especially once the police case started to pick up traction and things were revealed bit by bit. I was blown away.

You will not imagine for a second the final outcome and how powerful it is. It was a stunning ending to a very clever book.