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Synopsis
For nine years, Felicity
Terrebonne made her stepsister Maddy miserable, including marrying Maddy’s
boyfriend Dan. Now Felicity is on trial for murder, and Maddy attends her
trial. Is she there to gloat, or is it admiration that Felicity had the courage
to deal with a would-be rapist?
But Felicity has her own agenda, one that enlists Maddy and her friend Pete in
a frantic search for Felicity’s daughter Danielle, who was kidnapped by her
father but is nowhere to be found.
She’s only ten years old and has been missing for five months. Dan promises to lead them to her only to learn that Danielle has escaped her kidnappers.
Now the hunt is on. Who will find
the child first, and is she still alive?
About the Author
Born in Pasadena, CA, The United States
Genre Mystery, Thriller, Nonfiction
Influences: Guy Noir, Stephanie Plum
Facebook / LinkedIn / Goodreads
I am the author of several mysteries, one short-story collection, and a
nonfiction book. All of them are listed on my website at https://www.carolinestories.com.
Two of my novels won the Firebird Book award, and a third was a finalist for
the Freddie Award. Loose Ends was Goodreads “best thriller set in DC”
in 2016.
I grew up in the mountain west
and have traveled widely, including a brief stint in the Foreign Service. I am
a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime.
What’s
the best thing about being a writer?
Living in a world that I have totally imagined whose
inhabitants mostly--but certainly not always--do what I expect them to.
Review
A child went missing for five months, the mother
faces a murder charge, and a supportive although reluctant stepsister steps in.
From the opening chapter of the story, you realise the two didn’t get along.
When a child is missing, it is taken seriously by
every law enforcement unit and person connected to the family. But in this
case, the girl was gone for five months, and no one knew, not even the
stepsister. That sounded very odd to me.
Though the two stepsisters were not close, Maddy
came running when she heard about her sister’s fate. That there is not much
love between is a fact, but that Maddy came says a lot about Maddy and a lot of
nothing about Felicity. Only during the court case did Maddy learn about her
niece’s abduction. I believe she would have been the first responder when she
had received the news five months ago, and the reason I found it odd was that
she wasn’t told.
With each scene, new characters were introduced
that helped to develop the story, giving it a more mysterious edge. During the
court case, Maddy got to see her stepmom again. Yvonne was a sickly woman,
filled with regrets and unable to change the past. Maddy’s love is clear.
Detective O’Toole added the spice, making you
wonder if the spark would grow between him and Maddie. The camaraderie between
them a beautiful string that kept my nose in the book.
The book was written from Maddie’s point of view.
As an outsider, she could explore the many reasons that led to her stepsister’s
demise as she looked for Danielle.
With so many variables in the plot, you had to
keep up with it all. What hindered me most about this story are the frequent
back stories within each scene, slowing down the flow of the story. Getting to
the story is the number one rule when writing a book. Too much back story is
too much tell and not much showing.
Otherwise, it was a good book, that keeps on
building on the mystery genre. With enough dialogue and sparks to keep you
reading as twists unfold. The end of the book answered most of the questions,
with Felicity’s fate still hanging in the air.
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