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‘A little girl is missing from under her mother’s nose. She’ll be scared and vulnerable – if she’s still alive. But no one is helping us search. No one wants to give us information. No one even seems surprised. What’s going on?’
Detective Bernadette Noel came to this quiet rural corner of south-west England from London to lie low after a high-profile prosecution led to death threats against her family. But she has barely settled in when the call comes. A woman’s voice, shrill with terror and thick with tears: ‘Help – it’s my daughter, Molly – I only had my back turned for a minute… She’s gone!’
A child abduction is about as far from lying low as it gets, and her boss wants to assign a different detective. But there’s no way Bernie’s not taking the case – she can’t miss this chance to prove herself.
Five-year-old Molly Reynolds has been snatched from the playground in the village where she lives. Normally in cases like this the community is an asset – eager to help search and full of local knowledge. But although Molly’s mother Jessica is in anguish, the other villagers don’t seem to want to know.
As details emerge, Bernie discovers a possible link to a shocking crime that has never been solved, and which the locals have never forgotten. But what exactly is the connection to Molly’s abduction? Cracking a cold case is the only way to find out – and meanwhile time is running out for Molly.
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Review
Predators are very patient creatures whether they are of the animal or human kind. They choose their prey, lie in wait and when the adult is forced to focus their attention on something else even for a short time, they go for it. Nobody sees them. Nobody hears them. Nobody finds any trails. The result is devastating though…
DI Noel has been promoted recently when she has to put her teeth into this case. She and her team work around the clock in order to find the culprit. Few clues are being found and DI Noel is running out of time.
Who is this abductor? They seem like a ghost. Are they an expert in hiding or are they hiding in plain sight by playing an Oscar worthy role?
Will she be replaced by another DI because she can’t handle the case or does her determination pay off?
Sometimes the press and the police are not the best of friends, but sometimes they can work pretty well together.
Di Noel has a past that is following her around. I am very anxious to find out what happened to her. The author allows us to find out a bit about it, but I guess there is a lot more to it.
Di Noel was maybe a bit too inexperienced to be the right person in the right place, but in the end, she certainly delivered.
I enjoyed the book that kept me guessing until the end. No way that name was on my list 😉 4 stars.
Thank you, Joy Kluver and Bookouture
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About the Author
Joy Kluver has been an avid reader and writer since childhood. More recently she’s been escaping the madness of motherhood by turning her hand to crime novels. A book blogger, she’s also part of the First Monday Crime team and if you’ve been to any of their events it’s likely you’ve eaten one of her cookies. She also organises author talks for her local library. Joy lives in SW London with her husband and three children. ‘Last Seen’ is her debut novel and the first book in the DI Bernadette Noel series.
Joy is represented by Anne Williams at the Kate Horden Literary Agency.
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Author Links
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoyKluver
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joykluverauthor
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Book Links
Amazon: https://geni.us/B08T6DNKTFCover
Apple: http://ow.ly/WwXd50Dc8XW
Kobo: http://ow.ly/HIF350Dc8W4
Google: http://ow.ly/LEQQ50Dc91M
Audible:
UK: zpr.io/Rzwwa
US: zpr.io/RzwwN
B for Bookreview 