This book has been highly recommended to me by my friends and after reading them I recommended it to some of my other friends. This is truly an astonishingly well-done book. In the beginning, I was skeptical as to whether this book was worth reading or not. It started off by introducing two different plot lines with a little suspicion, but mostly sadness. It was not until these plotlines met that the rising action began. I love that this book focuses entirely on the suspense and thrill it creates, rather than maintaining a typical, formal plot structure. This book goes back in forth in time, in the sense that the previous actions of characters are revealed, that help explain the present. Furthermore, perspective switches unpredictably, but in a controlled manner to incite an unbearable amount of suspense. When the mingled presentation of the timeline, plotline, and perspective are combined, the audience is thrilled at every step. I recall that as soon as there was a lead to the mystery, a clue, more questions arose. Jewell is able to use these presentation dynamics to create a perfect psychological thriller, that goes much beyond just a mother who lost her favorite daughter. One of the best parts about this book is that each character was deeply developed. Usually, secondary, or mostly tertiary characters are not developed fully to see their flaws and strengths, as they are not totally relevant. The same cannot be said for this book. Overall, I loved this book, and if you are a fan of the genre, then this book is certainly for you.
About This Book
Ellie Mack was the perfect daughter. She was fifteen, the youngest of three. Beloved by her parents, friends, and teachers, and half of a teenaged golden couple. Ellie was days away from an idyllic post-exams summer vacation, with her whole life ahead of her.
And then she was gone.
Now, her mother Laurel Mack is trying to put her life back together. It's been ten years since her daughter disappeared, seven years since her marriage ended, and only months since the last clue in Ellie's case was unearthed. So when she meets an unexpectedly charming man in a café, no one is more surprised than Laurel at how quickly their flirtation develops into something deeper. Before she knows it, she's meeting Floyd's daughters—and his youngest, Poppy, takes Laurel's breath away.
Because looking at Poppy is like looking at Ellie. And now, the unanswered questions she's tried so hard to put to rest begin to haunt Laurel anew. Where did Ellie go? Did she really run away from home, as the police have long suspected, or was there a more sinister reason for her disappearance? Who is Floyd, really? And why does his daughter remind Laurel so viscerally of her own missing girl?
