99 Red Balloons

Crime

Psychological Thriller

⭐A 2017 Top Rated Read⭐

By Elisabeth Carpenter
Paperback 352 pages
Publisher Avon (24th Aug 2017)
ASIN B01N26YGWS 

ISBN-13 978-0008223519

‘A wonderfully assured debut about every parent’s darkest nightmare – expertly weaving a family’s story together with a real sense of tension and some great twists. Highly recommended.’ TM Logan, bestselling author of Lies

📕My Review

When eight-year-old Grace disappears from a sweet shop on her way home from school, her family starts to fall apart as days pass without any sightings. Elderly widow Maggie hears of the disappearance and is reminded of her own tragic past - her granddaughter Zoe was abducted years earlier and never found. Zoe's distraught mother Sarah, unable to cope with her loss, committed suicide. When Maggie sees a familiar face, she can hardly believe her eyes! 

This is an excellent character-driven debut novel from author Elisabeth Carpenter. It's a story of love, loss and reconciliation; carefully and skillfully interwoven to create a wonderful and sometimes heart-wrenching tale of two families' lives similarly affected by the loss of a child. The writing is gritty and down-to-earth; it hasn't allowed 'Americanisms' to creep in, which is a huge bonus in my opinion. The reader is swept along as the plot takes a certain route.... but heck... wait a sec... no, no, that cannot be! 

An absorbing and all-consuming read. 

My thanks to Elisabeth Carpenter, Avon Books UK and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book.

Barnsey's Books Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

📗The Blurb

When eight-year-old Grace goes missing from a sweetshop on the way home from school, her mother Emma is plunged into a nightmare. Her family rallies around, but as the police hunt begins, cracks begin to emerge.

What are the secret emails sent between Emma’s husband and her sister? Why does her mother take so long to join the search? And is Emma really as innocent as she seems?

Meanwhile, ageing widow Maggie Taylor sees Grace’s picture in the newspaper. It’s a photograph that jolts her from the pain of her existence into a spiralling obsession with another girl – the first girl who disappeared…

Elisabeth Carpenter's website