Disclaimer: I bloody love Lisa Jewell as a person - she's so nice and generous and supportive to readers and authors alike. But the hints of other crimes Tempe’s identification uncovers, particularly crimes against children, spur her on to redouble her efforts despite the new M. Multiple other studies show different results with people's rational brain fully developed before or after this age.

i still havent figured out how im going to reward myself for a correct prediction - the game is a work in progress - so suggestions are welcome. The structure keeps the suspense level high, and Jewell manages surprising revelations all the way up to the ending. Gripping and heartbreaking, I shed more than a few tears as the book came to an end with a gut-wrenching epilogue. There are four different perspectives shown in the book, but only Noelle and Floyd’s narration are in first person.

Jewell demonstrates once again that she has what it takes to genuinely shock, surprise and move her readers.

The book alternates between the present day life of Laurel (whose entire life was destroyed as a consequence of her daughter’s kidnapping) and the circumstances of Ellie’s kidnapping. Her characters are believable, her writing is strong and poetic, and her narrative is infused with just enough intrigue to keep the pages turning. The mounting evidence of ever more and ever worse skulduggery will pull Tempe deeper and deeper down what even she sees as a rabbit hole before she confronts a ringleader implicated in “Drugs. Hanna sighs, Laurel sighs too, realizing she has just done the thing she always promised herself she would never do. I intended to spend 90 minutes reading on a weekend afternoon to have a relaxing break from some outside chores.

The interesting fact is the way of disappearance of Noelle reminds of her the way of disappearance of her own daughter. Lisa Jewell is a brilliant storyteller and I will be recommending this book for an emotional, suspenseful, and captivating read. I wasn’t satisfied with the ending as there were still storylines that weren’t completely tied up and explained. A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.