By Paula McClain
This book is literally un-put-downable! Anna Hart, a detective, has a marriage that is falling apart and a deep secret she is doing her best to cover up through pushing herself to the point of exhaustion. But did she return to working an unusual and many-layered missing persons case too soon after her own personal tragedy? And does the fact that the missing young woman was adopted play into Anna’s own childhood of abandonment and redemption? As Anna and the reader are drawn into this complex and suspenseful case, the layers of deceit and human kindness are difficult to separate and distill.
I am not a huge fan of suspense and mystery, but this novel had me hooked from the first ten pages! I picked it up because I love Paula McClain and her lyrical, poetry-like prose. This novel did not disappoint on that account as some of the book’s passages could stand alone as poetry. The language both softened the blows that occur, and deepened my connection to the book, and to Anna, by igniting my own senses of loss and love. It is not often a book packed with so much upheaval and pain can feel redemptive and hopeful, but Ms. McClain pulls it off with style and understated grace. I highly recommend this book.
An excellent read. Late-night warning!
Bookish and Proud 