Book Recommendation – Little Girl Missing

How can a little girl vanish into thin air?

Five-year-old Cassie Bailey’s mother tucked her into bed and kissed her goodnight. This morning she’s missing, her unicorn bedcovers are empty, and her parents are frantic.

DCI Rachel Hart knows that the first few hours after a child goes missing are the most crucial, and that the Baileys are living every parent’s worst nightmare. Rachel knows, because as a child her family lived through it too, when her sister was taken.

The days are ticking by with no sign of Cassie, and the cracks in the Baileys’ marriage are beginning to show. But are the holes in their stories because they’re out of their minds with panic – or because they’re lying?

Rachel’s convinced that Cassie knew the person who took her, but can she find the little girl before she’s lost forever?

A gripping and unputdownable thriller for fans of Close to Home, The Couple Next Door and Behind Closed Doors.

My Review

There aren’t many books I read in one sitting, particularly not full length ones anyway. But this was one of those.

It probably wasn’t a good idea to pick my kindle up at 4.30 in the morning, not when I expected my eyelids to droop within thirty minutes. Still, I was awake and needed something to do. I’d just finished an audiobook a few days earlier, and watching TV wasn’t an option, so I scrolled through the books on my TBR and came to a stop at Little Girl Missing.

It’s no coincidence that my current WIP as a writer features child abduction, and I’m reading as many stories I can lay my hands that feature that topic. Call it research, but I am fascinated by how other authors tackle the subject matter. And so it began … I did actually get some sleep though, but picked up where I left off as soon as I could after walking the dogs, eating breakfast, and even cleaning up a little. Somehow I knew that once I resumed with this story, then little else would get done that Sunday.

So, the book …. you want to know what happened?

Well, maybe I’ll give you a few teasers, but you really should check it out yourself if the subject matter intrigues you half as much as it does me.

Naomi Bailey’s life has been in turmoil since she threw her husband out for cheating on her with an old school enemy. Naomi refuses to let him even see their five-year-old daughter, Cassie, and the strain of being newly single is taking its toll on her ability to function. On the insistence of her best friend, Kate, Naomi takes a herbal sleeping tablet and wakes the next morning later  than usual. In a rush to get to school, she calls for Cassie but there is no answer. Minutes later, when she can’t find Cassie anywhere in the house, her worst fears are realised: Cassie is missing.

Charlie Bailey, Naomi’s husband, is living with his mother, Hazel, and hasn’t seen his daughter in five weeks – although he does stop by the house each night at Cassie’s bedtime just until her bedroom light goes out.

Could he be responsible Cassie’s disappearance? DCI Rachel Hart who is leading the investigation rules nothing out.

Grandma Hazel leaves her home early the following morning to visit her sister. Could she have taken Cassie with her, angry at Naomi for cutting all ties with them?

And then there’s a mystery surrounding the woman with whom Charlie cheated on his wife. A long-time enemy of Naomi, Jessica still bears a grudge from when Charlie chose Naomi over her. Could she be involved in Cassie’s disappearance too? There’s no love lost between her and Naomi, but could she and Charlie be in it together?

DCI Rachel Hart has her hands full, there are twists and turns throughout and everyone is a suspect. The real culprit’s identity soon becomes obvious, but their motives are well hidden until the end.

With all the obstacles facing her, Rachel wonders whether she is the right person to lead the case. She quickly pushes the doubt to one side, convinced that her personal experience makes her the best person to find the missing child before it’s too late. That personal experience is told in bite-size snippets, adding intrigue and interest to Rachel’s own history.

This is a fast-paced thriller that will grab your attention and hold it right till the end. Trust is such a fragile thing; you might never see the truth because of it.

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As always,