Author: Paula McLain
Genre: General Fiction/Mysteryy
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: April, 13, 2021
Book Description: Anna Hart is a seasoned missing persons detective in San Francisco with far too much knowledge of the darkest side of human nature. When tragedy strikes her personal life, Anna, desperate and numb, flees to the Northern California village of Mendocino to grieve. She lived there as a child with her beloved foster parents, and now she believes it might be the only place left for her. Yet the day she arrives, she learns that a local teenage girl has gone missing.
The crime feels frighteningly reminiscent of the most crucial time in Anna’s childhood, when the unsolved murder of a young girl touched Mendocino and changed the community forever. As past and present collide, Anna realizes that she has been led to this moment. The most difficult lessons of her life have given her insight into how victims come into contact with violent predators. As Anna becomes obsessed with saving the missing girl, she must accept that true courage means getting out of her own way and learning to let others in.
Weaving together actual cases of missing persons, trauma theory, and a hint of the metaphysical, this propulsive and deeply affecting novel tells a story of fate, necessary redemption, and what it takes, when the worst happens, to reclaim our lives—and our faith in one another.
Rating: 2.5 stars
Mini-Review: This was not the book I was expecting from McLain. Her most recent books have been historical fiction and this book leans towards mystery. Anna Hart returns home to California when a young girl goes missing. With her old friend Will, they try to solve this case, and reflect on a missing girl case that occurred when they were extremely young.
I really wanted to like this one, but it really lacked that sparkle that makes you want to continue reading. There were no twists that helped drive this book home. You might say this leans more towards literary mystery, because of the character development in this one.
Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Obsessed Bookaholic 