This second book featuring DS Carrie Flynn takes her back into the nightmare she experienced when her 6-year-old sister, Hattie, disappeared over 20 years ago. The girls had walked to a park and when Carrie left Hattie behind for a moment in a pique of annoyance, Hattie...well, Carrie can't remember exactly what happened -- she's blocked it out. But she does remember the bloody shorts and how their mother, Mary, was never the same. Carrie ended up in care and then went on to become a police officer with her main goal to save other children from whatever happened to Hattie.
Now, Carrie is getting anonymous phone calls from a girl who claims that she has reported a man to them but the police won't do anything so she must take matters into her own hands. Frustrated because neither she nor her partner, DC Paul Harper, can get the caller's name, they are left without anything or anyone to question or arrest. There is a case in the works, however, as a 12-year-old girl named Kelly claims she was drug into a house and assaulted but there are some holes in the story and the detectives aren't quite sure if they are hearing the truth. They can't locate the person who was allegedly in the house, have no description or even a name but they plug on doggedly.
In another thread, Harry and Alice Wilson hear from their daughter, Melanie, that the story told by Kelly isn't exactly complete but there was a man inside this house and he was naked from the waist down and had a deformed face. Harry, who is obviously mentally ill, decides that he will move his family away from Manchester and that they will live off the land on the deserted Pomona Island. Alice, who apparently is very weak-willed quits her job and agrees to sell their house and go with her family. Harry entices another family to come along with them and so the Hadleys -- Gabe, Liz and their twins, Willow and Lenon (age 15) show up to take the boat to Pomona.
And that's where the real story starts. What happens on this island when these two families are completely cut off from the rest of the world. No amenities, no Internet or cell service, and no way to contact the mainland if they get into trouble. And they will need help soon. NO SPOILERS.
What a story! You must be able to suspend disbelief in order for this drama to work but it did completely draw me in and I couldn't put it down as I had to know what happened to these people. My feelings about the characters were all over the place and I didn't know much of the time if any of them were completely sane. Often I felt like screaming, "OH COME ON!" when something seemed way too conveniently coincidental or completely unlikely. But I went with it. We definitely learned a lot more about Carrie Flynn and I think she could grow on me. I've read both books now and am interested to see where this character will go next. The details about the island were fascinating, especially the author's note at the end. A most unusual setting.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read and review. I'll be on the lookout for #3 in the series.
This is the second book in a series and I think that with these two it isn't necessary to have read the first one as Carrie Flynn was not as major of a character in it as she is in this one.
Genre - crime thriller, domestic drama - trigger=pedophile
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