This was one of those books that I almost put down and didn't complete. For me the start didn't grip me enough, I can't say what it was, perhaps it was just a different style of psychological thriller than I've read before (and I haven't read many of those!) or maybe it was just that my mind was pre-occupied. In fact I am sure it was because I am so grateful that I did continue reading it and pushing through my urges to just stop because I would have missed out on such an emotive and compelling read had I not finished reading it. It really would have been my loss.
Title | The Girl You Lost
Author | Kathryn Croft
Publisher | Bookouture
Publication Date | 5th February 2016
Purchase | Amazon
Source | Review Copy
Rating | 4/5
Eighteen years ago your baby daughter was snatched. Today, she came back.
A sinister and darkly compelling psychological thriller from the No.1 bestselling author of The Girl With No Past.
Eighteen years ago, Simone Porter’s six-month-old daughter, Helena, was abducted. Simone and husband, Matt, have slowly rebuilt their shattered lives, but the pain at losing their child has never left them.
Then a young woman, Grace, appears out of the blue and tells Simone she has information about her stolen baby. But just who is Grace – and can Simone trust her?
When Grace herself disappears, Simone becomes embroiled in a desperate search for her daughter and the woman who has vital clues about her whereabouts.
Simone is inching closer to the truth but it’ll take her into dangerous and disturbing territory.
Simone lost her baby. Will she lose her life trying to find her?
The plot is gripping, so much it made me hold my breath at several points throughout. Once I got around half way into the book I simply could not put it down. I read from 63% to the end in one sitting because I was so hooked I felt that if I left the book, something might happen and I could miss it! I was so drawn into the plot by then, that there was no going back. I feel like I've been through the ordeal myself, with the key character Simone (more about her soon) and I had that weird "did that really happen" sensation this morning when I awoke.
Simone and Matt are parents who had their daughter Helena abducted when she was 6 months old. The police never found her and they had to just get on with life without her. As I'm sure any parent will agree, how they managed to do that, I do not know, but they appeared stronger together and 16 years later a girl called Grace turns up with Helena's precious toy that was not disclosed to the media and has never been in the public domain of knowledge. Grace claims to Simone to know about Helena - or at least have information, but first she needs Simone's help. Simone is cautious, rightly so, but something about this girl Grace intrigued her and she found herself helping her.
What then begins as trying to help Grace, becomes the explosive unravelling of secrets from decades of hidden connections and secrets so dark that I was left sitting in tears, shocked by the revelation. I can't say the story ends happily ever after, but there is a somewhat degree of closure. Of course there will always be unanswered questions, but for the large part, the truth finally is out. And that truth will make you question whether or not you can ever truly know someone...
Kathyrn Croft is an utterly brilliant author, whom I've not have the pleasure of reading before, but if The Girl Who You Lost is anything to go by, then she is going to be around a long time yet, with some explosive storylines that will literally shock you to your core.
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