Gone Without A Trace by Mary Torjussen

You leave for work one morning.

Another day in your normal life.

Until you come home to discover that your boyfriend has gone.
His belongings have disappeared.
He hasn't been at work for weeks.
It's as if he never existed.

But that's not possible, is it?

And there is worse still to come.

Because just as you are searching for him
someone is also watching you.

This is such a great premise for a novel. I was describing the set up to a friend and she asked me to stop as she was getting shivers already!

Imagine - you walk into your house after work, and all trace of your boyfriend is gone. The paintings from the wall, the kitchen gadgets to the photos of him on your phone. Your text messages to each other have disappeared and his name and number are no longer in your contacts list. Everything is gone. Every trace of him has been swiped from your life.

Pretty chilling. Pretty gripping. Pretty intriguing.

Things were going great for Hannah and Matt - a wedding on the cards, a promotion in the bag, a lovely flat...... the perfect life together. It doesn't make any sense to Hannah. Why would Matt leave her?

Even Hannah's friends are confused. They don't seem to believe Hannah, and James even comes around to check, searching the flat for evidence that Hannah is keeping something from them; that it is a breakup and Hannah won't admit the truth but after seeing the flat, James has to admit it all feels very odd.

I think what I liked best about this book was that it was so realistic. The author has really taken the "what if" question and played with it. Everyone can relate to this situation - everyone fears this situation and everyone wonders what they would do and what it might drive them to do. Every step Hannah took felt realistic, I didn't have to suspend my imagination, give her the benefit of the doubt or let anything pass by - every moment felt real, plausible, tangible and frighteningly true. I empathised with Hannah. I felt her frustration, confusion, loss and heartbreak.

Torjussen as thought of everything. She takes any loop hole that Hannah might find, any avenue that can Hannah might explore, any answers that social media and the internet might provide and shows them to be flawed or their uselessness explained. Matt really has disappeared without trace. Hannah really can't find him or any evidence of him ever existing. The author is open and up front and is happy to watch you feel as bewildered and perplexed as Hannah.

And then, things really get scary. Strange things start to happen in the flat. The flowers in the vase that Hannah notices need throwing out as she leaves for work are fresh and alive when she returns. The kettle is warm when she walks in after a whole day out with condensation fresh on the tiles above it. A few things are out of place, a few things are going missing. Is it a "Sleeping with the Enemy", "The Girl on the Train", "Gone Girl" moment? Is Hannah being stalked? Was Matt taken and now she is in danger? Or is someone trying to make her look as if she has gone mad? What has happened? How is this novel going to resolve itself???!!!

And then things are not only going wrong at home, but things also start to go wrong at work. Hannah struggles to keep on top of things. Her obsession to find Matt is taking over her life. She is dropping the ball at work and her colleagues are becoming concerned by her erratic behaviour. Her search for Matt is also threatening her friendship with Katie - her best friend, her friend who knows her inside out and has stuck by her for years. Hannah feels more and more alone, isolated, misunderstood and heartbroken than ever.

I'm stopping now. Because if I say any more I will give something away and I do not want to. I have to say that Gone Without A Trace has one most fabulous twist and one of the most fabulous characterisations.

I really enjoyed Gone Without A Trace. It was the perfect weekend read. It is an impressive debut because the plot is so clever and so compelling. I couldn't guess where it was heading and when my sympathy with Hannah began to wane, I thought I could blame the author but no, there is no blame to be placed. Torjessen knew exactly what she was doing with Hannah - and every single word on those 345 pages. The climax is dramatic, nail biting and down right exciting. If my friend was shivering by the end of the first page, she will be positively hyperthermic by the last.

My only slight, teeny tiny comment would be that I felt the timeline was quite lengthy and it might have been better if events had been condensed over a shorter time period  - or whether we needed some kind of signal at the top of some of the chapters to place us but having said that, Torjussen's reasons for this are clear by the end. And the book still maintains the suspense and tension effectively throughout.

So I might have come across more descriptive, poetic, lyrical, multilayered and literary novels this year but I am going to rate Gone Without a Trace 5 stars just because. Because it was a good read. Because it was a satisfying read. Because it was a read I wanted to talk to someone about. A book that intrigues you, captures your imagination, compels you with it's plot and leaves you with a dropped jaw deserves 5 stars. What more can you ask from a book? This is a carefully planned, brilliantly executed thriller and it is well worth reading.

I will be watching out for Torjussen's next novel.

Gone Without A Trace is published by Headline on 23rd March.

For more recommendations and reviews you can follow me on Twitter @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacuk)

Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney

My name is Amber Reynolds. There are three things you should know about me:

1. I’m in a coma.
2. My husband doesn’t love me anymore.
3. Sometimes I lie.

This is fast becoming one of the most famous blurbs in book history. And it is as effective as it is efficient. The only other thing to add is that you really need to read this book!

It's totally fascinating. I have not read something that has completely upended everything I thought I knew about a storyline since "I Let You Go". Feeney's novel really is the next "Gone Girl". Psychological thriller seekers can not afford to miss this book. It's something special. It's quite possibly going to be more talked about than "The Girl on a Train."

I don't quite know how to review Sometimes I Lie. I know I liked it. I know I enjoyed it more and more as I got further and further in to the story. I know it left me completely breathless with twists I did not see coming and I know that it has lingered with me for days since I finished it. I know I found Feeney's plot engaging and was in awe of how cleverly she told her tale. And the characters were very well crafted. But I think my overriding feeling was that it was just fascinating. I am in awe of Feeney's imaginative characters and controlled storytelling. I was fascinated by what the characters were doing, what revelations, complications and unforeseen obstacles shaped the story and by the time I had read the last page I was simply stunned.

There are three main narratives in this novel. We have the present day, with Amber lying in a hospital bed in a coma, then we go back a bit further to the time leading up to the event that lead to her being in a coma and finally we have the story of Amber as a ten year old. All three parts are told in first person by Amber but it is very clear which bit you are reading, even with the help of the headings provided at the top of each new section.

I did feel a slight sense of unease when I realised Amber was narrating from a hospital bed, in a coma and unable to see anything or make full sense of what was happening around her. Not only does this make Amber vulnerable and unreliable, it also creates quite an intense level of tension and suspense. I was a little worried about how Feeney might sustain this and how effective this point of view could be without becoming contrived -but actually it was utterly convincing. Balancing it amongst the voice of ten year old Amber and "Coffee Morning" Amber keeps it plot driven and gives the reader plenty of other clues / hints / characters to concentrate on. I think the sections written from the coma also felt fresh and original.

There were some fantastic lines about 'playing parts', 'learning lines' and 'rehearsing' reactions and behaviours. I also enjoyed all the allusions and references to memory, the mind, "the infinite space between delusion and reality" and our own history. There were also a few references to mirrors which highlighted the theme that nothing is ever as it seems and no one really knows what is going on inside a person.

I liked the use of lists of three things that we first see in the blurb of the book. Feeney uses this technique sparingly throughout the book but when it does appear, it is so pertinent and effective that it immediately catches your eye and draws your attention to something subtly lurking within the pages.

Feeney is clearly a talented author. She is a fantastic writer and I highlighted plenty of sentences which I found striking. I found Sometimes I Lie compelling and a refreshing arrival in the psychological thriller genre. I can't resist a book which makes me reread and reread cliffhangers and final pages; that ends with me letting out a long deep breathe of shock. A book which zags when I expect a zig.

There are three things you should know about me:
1. I'm a bibliomaniac and I say you need to read this book.
2. I'm a book blogger and I say this is novel is already a highlight of 2017.
3. When it comes to recommending books, I never lie.

Sometimes I Lie is published by HQ on 23rd March 2017

For more recommendations and reviews please follow me on Twitter @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacuk)

Larchfield by Polly Clarke

It's early summer when a young poet, Dora Fielding, moves to Helensburgh on the west coast of Scotland and her hopes are first challenged. Newly married, pregnant, she's excited by the prospect of a life that combines family and creativity. She thinks she knows what being a person, a wife, a mother, means. She is soon shown that she is wrong. As the battle begins for her very sense of self, Dora comes to find the realities of small town life suffocating, and, eventually, terrifying; until she finds a way to escape reality altogether.

Another poet, she discovers, lived in Helensburgh once. Wystan H. Auden, brilliant and awkward at 24, with his first book of poetry published, should be embarking on success and society in London. Instead, in 1930, fleeing a broken engagement, he takes a teaching post at Larchfield School for boys where he is mocked for his Englishness and suspected - rightly - of homosexuality. Yet in this repressed limbo Wystan will fall in love for the first time, even as he fights his deepest fears.

The need for human connection compels these two vulnerable outsiders to find each other and make a reality of their own that will save them both. Through the power of their imaginations they will find the courage and bravery to overcome their suffering. 

The most striking thing about this novel is how effortlessly Clarke transports the reader back in time for the story of Wystan Auden but also grounds you firmly in the present with Dora's storyline. The effect of this is an atmosphere of a kind of timelessness, which is effective because of the magical way the two story lines then intertwine. This sense of changing time and place is also a very effective way of capturing the physical and emotional escape both the main characters seek. This is a book where time and place both matter and don't matter.

Clarke's writing style also feels both fitting of a classic novel and a contemporary novel. It is moving towards literary fiction but incredibly enjoyable and full of beautiful exposition. I loved the opening description of Auden:

"His arms are huge, the arms of an ape, and he's lighting a cigarette as he gets settled for the journey from Oxford to Glasgow. ......His left ear sticks out, the remains of the schoolboy. The impression made is one of pale, large fragility. It isn't until he looks up that his attractiveness becomes apparent."

Unusually Clarke builds intrigue by almost telling us what is to come in the story and this made it an appealing opening. There was something very assured about the voice and I immediately trusted the author to deliver a tale that would be character driven and memorable.

"He does not know that he will be more alone than he has ever been, that he will love more deeply than he ever thought possible - and he will long for the consolations that poetry cannot give, at least not to the writer."

There is a lot about poetry and writing in the story because it so important to both Dora and Wystan; both characters use poetry to 'make sense' of life. But there is much more to this novel; it is also a wonderful piece of character study and the emotional journeys of these characters and whether you know who Auden is or not, whether you've read his poems or not, you will still enjoy this book.

"'Do you know about poetry, Mr Wallace?'
'I know enough to know that rugby is more important.'"

Both characters are completely three dimensional and completely convincing, engaging and interesting. I took to Dora and found her journey into motherhood compelling and sensitively handled. I particularly enjoyed Dora's interaction with the midwives in the hospital, for example her request to move from the ward to a hotel:

"A hotel? [the nurse] repeated, almost wonderingly, looking at Dora anew, as if perhaps she were Oliver Twist and had said, Please sir, can I have some more?"

Dora gives birth prematurely and the effect of this on her as a new parent is colossal. Clarke writes some simply stunning sentences that are subtle and understated yet poignant and powerful. I thought Clarke's description of Dora at the toddler group was painfully emotive and imaginative.

"The mothers lining the walls raised their drooping heads like desiccated flowers suddenly given a drink. Dora hauled herself across the room, just a step ahead of the silence cresting behind her."

I had many favourite lines in Larchfield and I found the evocation of a small community as claustrophobic and inhibiting as the characters themselves. This is a gem of a book, to be savoured, read slowly and enjoyed. It reminded me of Jo Baker's novels and of "Let me tell you about a man I knew" by Susan Fletcher. It has also been compared to "Possession".

Larchfield will be published by Quercus on 23rd March 2017.

For more recommendations and reviews follow me on Twitter @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacuk)

#BlogTour #LieInWait #GJMinett #GuestPost

Owen Hall has always been different. A big man with an unusual fixation, one who prefers to put his trust in number patterns rather than in people, it's unsurprising that he'd draw the attention of a bully.

Or a murder investigation.

And, in the storm of emotions and accusations that erupts when a violent killing affects a small community, it soon becomes clear that a particularly clever murderer might just get away with it.

All they'd need is a likely suspect . . .

You can read my review of Lie In Wait here:
Bibliomaniac Review Lie In Wait

I am absolutely thrilled to welcome Graham Minett to my blog today as part of the Blog Tour for Lie in Wait! Graham has very kindly agreed to take part in an interview so without further ado, I shall get on with our conversation! 

Hello Graham and thanks ever so much for coming along to Bibliomaniac's blog today! 

Had you been carrying the story idea for Lie In Wait with you for a while or did it evolve once you had finished The Hidden Legacy?

In all honesty, the moment I finished The Hidden Legacy I started work on another novel which I finished and sent off to my agent. He read it and told me to stick it in a drawer and chalk it up to experience because it wasn’t good enough. I wasn’t very happy at the time as you can imagine but he was right and fortunately the character of Owen Hall had already started to take root in my thoughts so I was able to get stuck into Lie In Wait without too much of a break.

Lie In Wait is quite different from your first novel. Was that a conscious decision?

Not really, no. I think the main reason for the difference is that The Hidden Legacy wasn’t originally going to be a novel. The prologue was written as an academic piece as part of the MA I was doing and it was only when it won a national competition for opening chapters that I found myself in the unusual position of having to come up with a storyline to go with an opening, rather than the other way around. With Lie In Wait the intention from the outset was to write a novel with a crime at the heart of it. If the two novels are linked in any way though, I’d say it’s the fact that they both revolve around strong central characters who are bewildered by events going on around them.

Some authors plan their storylines on excel spread sheets, some use post-it notes, some carry it all in their heads. Do you have a preferred method for planning your complex plots?

I spend months planning before I even write a word. For The Hidden Legacy I used a huge board and filled it with cards that were pinned to it, each one containing the scenes for a particular chapter. For Lie In Wait and for book 3 which I’m writing at present I’ve switched to a Word document which details every individual scene, what it will tell me about a character and how it will move the action forward. I also have detailed timelines that tell me what was happening on certain dates and what each of the characters knew at that point, as well as detailing dates of birth, marriages, ages etc. I’m an unapologetic planner.

Lie in Wait is set in Chichester. How important is the location in your novels and were there any difficulties in setting it so firmly in a ‘real’ place?

It was hugely important to me for The Hidden Legacy as I grew up in Cheltenham and The Cotswolds, love the area and wanted to work something out of my system, I think. Part of the challenge for me was to make readers who have never been there feel as if they know the place and I’m proud of how it all turned out. In Lie In Wait I opted for the area on the South Coast where I live now because it was familiar and that made any research much easier. In book 3 I’ve set it in the area around Rye, Camber Sands and Winchelsea as well as a place called Peaks Island off the coast of Portland, Maine. I spent a few days in Rye to research it and my wife and I went to have a good look at Peaks Island last summer. I’m not sure how important the location will be in future novels. I suspect, if I want to make some sort of breakthrough in the US, I may need to make my novels less obviously English but that’s for the future.

In terms of the journey from the first draft to the final publication, was there anything you did differently or approached differently this time now that you had already been through the process once before? Were there any particular lessons you had learned from the first time round?

The one big lesson I’ve learned is that it’s so difficult to find time to write it. I allowed myself four months to write book 3 which was less than I’d originally envisaged but I’d worked it out as about 750 words a day which seemed relatively straightforward. What I hadn’t factored in – and should have – were the other things that have been demanding my time. I’m still working at a school until Easter, I’m training up my replacement, I’m writing blogs every day for the blog tour, I’m making appearances to promote the book, frequently making journeys that require an overnight stay, and also travelling often to London to meet with my agent and publishers as well as supporting other authors when their books come out. And then there’s social media – that takes up about two hours every day if I’m going to thank people for re-tweeting or for reviewing the novels. It all adds up and leaves me frequently having to write between 2000 and 3000 words a day for a while to catch up.

            Hope it doesn’t sound like a moan – I love it but it will be a lot easier when I’m writing full-time.

What have you enjoyed most about writing your second novel? Did the fact it was your second book affect any part of the creative process?

What I enjoyed most was what I also loved about the first one. As a reader I like to peel away layers of mystery and intrigue and try to get to the heart of the story before the author reveals all. I don’t care if I’m wrong – as long as it all holds together and doesn’t rely totally upon ridiculous coincidences or behaviour which is totally out of keeping with what we know of the character, I’ll applaud the author. I try to write what I enjoy reading and loved the challenge in Lie In Wait of revealing the murderer’s identity two-thirds of the way through and yet still retaining the interest of the readers by and following the investigation dangling the ‘will they/won’t they’ issue in front of them.

            The only way in which the fact that it was my second novel affected the process was my publishers’ preference for it to sit a little more firmly in the crime genre than The Hidden Legacy did. It wasn’t a problem in any way.

Both your novels are psychological thrillers. Do you think this is the genre in which you may continue to write or have you something else planned for book three?!

I’m now 65,000 words into book 3 and can say with some degree of certainty that this is the right genre for me at the present time. I feel very comfortable with the material and have found a writing style which works for me and hopefully appeals to readers as well.

            I’m no different from most novelists, I guess, in imagining that I have a really serious, ‘worthy’ novel in me and the very fact that my literary heroes are Maggie O’Farrell and Kate Atkinson makes me wish all the time that I could follow in their footsteps and have the chance to write something overtly literary. Maybe one day. For now though, I’m very happy with what I’m doing. When I get moments of frustration, as all writers do, I simply remind myself that just over two years ago I had no publishing deal and might have been forgiven for thinking I’d never get a book out there. And I didn’t know wonderful people like Bibliomaniac even existed!

Sometimes I have to pinch myself.

Ah, too kind Graham! When I get to do a blog post like this and interview my favourite authors, I also sometimes have to pinch myself too! 

Thanks so much for taking part today! It's been an absolute pleasure to chat to you about Lie In Wait. 

Lie in Wait was published in paperback on 9th March 2017 by Bonnier Zaffre.


More about GJ Minett



Graham was born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire and lived there for 18 years before studying for a degree in Modern and Medieval Languages at Churchill College, Cambridge.

He taught for several years, first in Cheltenham and then in West Sussex before opting to go part-time and start an MA in Creative Writing at the University of Chichester. Completing the course in 2008, he gained a distinction for the dissertation under the guidance of novelist, Alison MacLeod and almost immediately won the Segora Short Story Competition with ‘On the Way Out’.

Other awards soon followed, most notably his success in the 2010 Chapter One novel competition with what would eventually become the opening pages of his debut novel. He was signed up by Peter Buckman of the Ampersand Agency, who managed to secure a two-book deal with twenty7, the digital-first adult fiction imprint of Bonnier Publishing.

"The Hidden Legacy" was published as an eBook in November 2015 and the paperback version was published in August 2016. The second book in the deal, entitled "Lie in Wait", was published as an eBook in August 2016 and the paperback version will be on the shelves in bookshops around the country in March 2017.

Graham lives with his wife and children in West Sussex but retains close links with the rest of his family in Cheltenham.

@GJMinett

grahamminett.com

For more recommendations and reviews you can follow me on Twitter @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacuk)

#Guestpost Alex Caan #CutToTheBone

I am really excited to welcome Alex Caan to my blog to talk about his second book nightmare! Alex is coming along to my Dazzling Debuts event on the 22nd March where he will be talking about his debut novel Cut To The Bone (published Nov 2016 by Bonnier Zaffre).

Without any more ado, let me hand you over to Alex and hear all he has to say about writing Book 2!!

BOOK TWO (AKA HORROR BOOK)

So I have been a bit quiet on social media while I tackle the dreaded BOOK TWO!

OK I know this is a FIRST WORLD PROBLEM completely. Still, the pain of writing a second novel has been immense. This isn't my actual second novel, it took me a lot of false starts to get to Cut To The Bone, so I've written a few novels in the past. 

The art of writing is my passion, I love doing it, I enjoy doing it. And I've done it through this enthusiasm many times over the years. Always when nobody was paying me for it, or interested in it, just me and my creative processes. And then...somebody give me a contract, an advance, and wants to publish this novel and...and then what? I have been frozen with terror ever since I started to realise I would have to deliver BOOK TWO!! 

I had an outline, a title, I bring back DCI Kate Riley and DS Zain Harris, it's like driving down a new road in a car you love. And yet, I just couldn't do it. 

I had so many false starts, despite the encouragement of so many people, including one of my writing heroes. I had other writers ask me for weekly word counts, advice from anyone who has ever written, and most of all the beautiful, amazing, generous people who have been so kind about Cut To The Bone and wanted more!! And still...the words didn't come. 

It wasn't even writer's block. I knew what was happening next. I just couldn't write. And every positive review or negative review just added another brick to the wall that stood between me and BOOK TWO. 

Slowly I started to write, word by word, and each sentence was filled with self-loathing and fear. And then one word at a time, I had something. I had extensions, I even went on a Pilgrimage, and finally I burned the all-night oils and got it done. Well, into a draft and a state that I could send it to my editor. 

And then I realised that's the difference between Cut To The Bone and this book. I now have an editor, I have someone who will rip it to pieces, and send me some glue to fix it. With the first novel, you and your agent work on it and get it perfect, hoping to attract a publisher. But this book, the second one, well, you have your publisher, and they are now on your side, and they are going to help you attract an audience. 

So in conclusion? Book Two was a nightmare, but it seems everyone feels the same. And, most importantly, it's in. And now, ironically, I just can't wait to write my next one! Go figure. Book Two has gone, and so has the absolute crippling fear and self-hatred. (Well until I get my edits back...) 

Thanks so much Alex for sharing your thoughts about writing Book 2! I am absolutely positive it will be as gripping and as exciting as Book 1 and I, like hundreds of other readers, am thrilled that there is a Book 3 on the way! And even more pleased to hear that the fear of writing has gone and instead you are inspired and inspiring again! 

ALEX CAAN 

Alex Caan was born in Manchester, has spent over a decade working in information systems security for a number of government organisations, and is currently specialising in terrorism studies. A lifetime passion for writing was sparked by the encouraging words of an English teacher in school, and eventually led to Alex successfully completing an MA in Creative Writing and writing Cut to the Bone.
www.alexcaanauthor.com
@alexcaanwriter



One Missing Girl. Two Million Suspects.

Ruby is a vlogger, a rising star of YouTube and a heroine to millions of teenage girls.

And she's missing . . .

But she's an adult - nothing to worry about, surely?

Until the video's uploaded . . .

Ruby, in the dirt, pleading for her life.

Enter Detective Inspector Kate Riley; the Met's rising star and the head of a new team of investigators with the best resources money can buy. Among them, Detective Sergeant Zain Harris, the poster boy for multiracial policing. But can Kate wholly trust him - and more importantly, can she trust herself around him?

As hysteria builds amongst the press and Ruby's millions of fans, Kate and her team are under pressure to get results, and fast, but as they soon discover, the world of YouTube vloggers and social media is much darker than anyone could have imagined.

And the videos keep coming . .


Bibliomaniac's Review of Cut To The Bone

This book opens with one of the most captivating introductions I have read in a while! Caan's use of short sentences creates tension effectively, gripping the reader and pulling them straight into the dark and frightening situation which sets the tone for the rest of this compelling thriller.

"Her clothes are gone. She wears a sack, tied at the waist. ...... Help me. Who is she speaking to? .........Ruby is gone. Only her screaming remains."

The chapter continues by telling us "she is strapped to a chair, arms and legs bound, mouth taped." Ruby's panic and fear are well captured with the description of her imprisonment and sense of desperation: "The walls are coming in . The darkness has icy fingers. Her skin is on fire. She wants her mother. She can't breathe. She is drowning."

In Chapter 2 we meet our protagonist DCI Kate Riley - a highly experienced detective with a doctorate from Browns. She receives a phone call at 2.38 am about a 20 year old girl who has been missing for 8 hours. Justin Hope, the Commissioner, has requested an investigation even though it is quite unprecedented at this early stage given the age of the missing girl. It is unclear why he is involved as the parents dialled 999 and have no apparent connection with Hope.

Chapter 3 introduces another key character, DS Zain Harris. He is first on the scene at the missing girl's house - the girl we now know to be Ruby. Ruby is a Vlogger and YouTube star who posts lifestyle tips, make up tutorials and fashion advice. She is making an impressive income through freebies, sponsorship and advertising. She has an incredible 2 million followers. That night, she had just gone out for a walk and never returned. As Zain listens to the parents' answers to his questions, he can't help but feel that they are "prompting each other for answers....playing a part....their responses were scripted," but he tries to "switch off his paranoia". The theme of playing parts, and scripted scenes is repeated throughout the novel as Caan explores the world of social media; the blurred lines between someone's real and on line persona. Paranoia is also a key theme in the book - both Zain and Katy seem to suffer from it, although the roots and causes are mysteriously secret and buried deep in their back stories which Caan tantalises the reader with, only dropping the odd clue or half picture so their characters remain as mysterious as the actual crime they are investigating. It is very intriguing and I was very impressed with his handling of not only a complex plot, but also his management of complex characters. It is hard to believe it is a debut novel.

The chapters continue to alternate between Kate and Zain. They are very short and this book definitely moves with great pace and action. Although quite different characters, Kate and Zain form a bond quickly and even at the first interview with Ruby's parents the "silence was heavy between them, acquiring layers of something unspoken." I also liked the way that the mystery of Kate's home life - the baby monitor she kept by her bed with the blond wig she had to put on before responding to it, the dark fear shrouding her arrival in London- were entwined with the main criminal investigation of trying to find Ruby. As I said, this novel has a multi layered, intricate plot with lots of different threads for the reader to wonder about, be distracted by and ensuring that they are kept very much on the edge of their seat until the last page.

Zain is also a fascinating character. Is he good? Is he bad? Is he right in some of the procedural decisions he makes? What is his motive and to whom is he truly loyal? What is he caught up in? Nothing is quite as it seems and he is also compromised and full of internal conflict.

The case is difficult. Kate "was paddling...going through the motions, picking up everything she could, throwing it in the air and seeing what landed." As the book continues into the last third, the police investigation suddenly delves much deeper and into something much much bigger and more sinister than anyone could have anticipated. We learn more about Ruby, her violent and unpredictable boyfriend Dan, the mercenary world of Vlogging and the manipulative power of huge corporations. This story is more than a police procedural crime novel, it dances with conspiracy; searching and uncovering the sort of answers that will lead to people being murdered rather than revealing the truth.

This really is a novel for 2016; the world of Vlogging and those that build careers out of creating YouTube videos is such a recent phenomenon. Ruby's character is so interesting - she is lonely and has very few real friends, yet she is "lonely in the glare of 2 million people watching her." I thought it was very thought provoking in a sense as it made me really consider the growing role of social media networks and the affect they could be having on young people and their emotional intelligence or social skills. It highlights the dangers of exposure, the competition and resentment that can grow from a harmless Vlog. YouTubers and Vloggers can create a high level of perfection which can cause as much trouble for them as their viewer. And they seem relatively unprotected from praying companies seeking to exploit or manipulate them.

As the investigation proceeds there are plenty of technical conversations about how people use social media; how the police's work is made more difficult now so many people can hack / delete / wipe information - even though conversely we can also be tracked and traced by innocently opening apps on our phone. Caan's knowledge and research into the details of the technology, the internet and police procedure where vastly impressive and showed a deep understanding of everything he wrote about.

I have more to say...more quotes to use....but actually on reflection, I think they might give too much away. The best thing about this book is the way you are mislead, constantly unsure about some of the characters, shocked and tricked so I think for that reason, the less said the better! What I will say is that this is a very accomplished and considered novel and, as I am finding with all Bonnier Twenty7 debut authors, it is a book which really reads as if it has been written by an established writer with a catalogue of titles preceding them.

The final words of the book left me begging for a bit more! They are as compelling as the opening lines! I hope this means there is more to come from Caan, Kate and Zain.

This story reminded me of a lot of films and TV series I have seen recently in terms of the scale of the mystery and turns that the investigation take - the "grey" morality of a detective and another who carries an emotional burden. There is a lot of police procedure and jargon, and it was probably more intense than most crime novels I read, but even though I wasn't sure if I was always keeping abreast with Kate, I certainly recognise the talent of the author and the potential in this book. Recommend!


For more recommendations, reviews and information and posts about Dazzling Debuts and my other book events, please follow me on Twitter @katherinesunde3