Title: The Child Finder
Expected
publication: 11 January 2018
My
Rating:🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Those who are loved are never lost.
Book Description (Goodreads):
Three years ago, Madison Culver disappeared when her family
was choosing a Christmas tree in Oregon’s Skookum National Forest. She would be
eight years old now—if she has survived. Desperate to find their beloved
daughter, certain someone took her, the Culvers turn to Naomi, a private
investigator with an uncanny talent for locating the lost and missing. Known to
the police and a select group of parents as The Child Finder, Naomi
is their last hope.
Naomi’s methodical search takes her deep into the icy, mysterious forest in the Pacific Northwest, and into her own fragmented past. She understands children like Madison because once upon a time, she was a lost girl too.
As Naomi relentlessly pursues and slowly uncovers the truth behind Madison’s disappearance, shards of a dark dream pierce the defenses that have protected her, reminding her of a terrible loss she feels but cannot remember. If she finds Madison, will Naomi ultimately unlock the secrets of her own life?
Naomi’s methodical search takes her deep into the icy, mysterious forest in the Pacific Northwest, and into her own fragmented past. She understands children like Madison because once upon a time, she was a lost girl too.
As Naomi relentlessly pursues and slowly uncovers the truth behind Madison’s disappearance, shards of a dark dream pierce the defenses that have protected her, reminding her of a terrible loss she feels but cannot remember. If she finds Madison, will Naomi ultimately unlock the secrets of her own life?
My musings:
It’s always a special moment when I stumble across a book
that’s just perfect for me in every way, containing all the elements I look for
in a good thriller: a gutsy, interesting and enigmatic main protagonist with a
cast of intriguing supporting characters – tick! An atmospheric, claustrophobic
setting with a wonderful armchair travel component – tick! Plenty of mystery
and suspense – tick! And, as an added bonus, a mystical element that adds to
the intrigue and lends a dreamlike quality to some of the scenes – tick, tick,
tick.
I don’t give out my five-star ratings easily, but the Child
Finder was without doubt one of the best books I have read all year. From the very
first page, Denfeld captured my full attention and drew me so deeply into the
storyline that I only surfaced – slightly dazed and confused – for absolutely
necessary tasks such as food, drink and toilet breaks, and then only
reluctantly. Denfeld’s writing is beautiful, evocative and descriptive in ways
that the story played out in my mind in vivid technicolour glory, to a point
where I felt like an invisible spectator amongst the characters, witnessing
events as they unfolded.
Naomi is a wonderful main protagonist – with her mysterious
past that has shaped her personality and is fuelling her obsession, she not
only got my interest but also tugged at my heartstrings. Thinking back, I
realise that this was one of the rare books where there wasn’t a singly truly
despicable, unlikeable character featuring in the story, despite some very dark
and disturbing elements being explored here. With the current trend of
featuring casts of unlikeable characters in mysteries, I welcomed the opportunity
to get to know a heroine I actually liked and admired, to a point where I hope
to see her back in future books to be able to follow her journey a bit longer. Showing
perfect insight into the human psyche, Denfeld created a rich cast of
intriguing characters, lending even the most disturbed ones a background that
inspires compassion and understanding rather than disgust, as only very few
books dealing with similar themes can. I loved the way Denfeld wrapped her most
disturbing scenes in layers of magical realism, bringing her message across in
a non-confrontational manner and highlighting the human survival instinct and
ability to mask trauma with dissociation from one’s experiences – in this
instance in a child’s ability to identify herself as a character out of one of
her fairy tales. The story, with all its darkness, brought with it a prevailing
sense of hope for me. I think that the power of the story lies in exactly this
element – one becomes so emotionally engrossed in the book that its message
burrows its way right into the heart of the reader.
Summary:
To cut a long review short, and without giving anything
away, The Child Finder is a wonderful book that easily made it onto my list of
favourite reads for 2017. I am definitely going to get a copy of the author’s
first book, and am hoping for many more to come. If you are a lover of the
genre or are simply looking for a book to get lost in, you can’t go wrong with
this one. Very highly recommended.
Thank
you to Netgalley and Orion Publishing Group for the free electronic copy of this novel and
for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review. I loved it!
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