• Author: Liz Moore
• Series: Standalone
• Genre: Thriller
• Star Rating: 5 stars
• Gifted by Publisher: Yes

Plot: Some said it was tragic, what happened to the Van Laars. Some said the Van Laars deserved it. That they never even thanked the searchers who stayed out for five nights in the freezing forest trying to help find their missing son. Some said there was a reason it took the family so long to call for help. That they knew what happened to the boy. Now, fifteen years later, the daughter the family had in their grief has gone missing in the same wilderness as her brother. Some say the two disappearances aren’t connected. Some say they are.

When I tell you I needed this book that would be an understatement. This book was a breath of fresh air amongst a myriad of average dnfs. When I reach for a book I hope to 
1. enjoy it (obviously) 
2. lose myself in it where I genuinely can’t think of anything else but that specific book 
3. I want to feel my brain working. I need to feel the cogs turning. 

Reading this book was a perfect combination of all of those things and it made for an incredibly engaging and enthralling reading experience.

First of all, I love stories with multiple points of view and set at varying different time points. I love a narrative structure that isn’t wholly linear, that isn’t clear cut, that isn’t super easy to follow. The way this story is told was perfect down to every comma, every full stop, every page break. We follow a wide variety of characters spanning from the 1950s all the way to August of 1975. During these 25 years we see repeat faces and brand new ones. We follow the Van Laar family and the key players as they try to uncover the disappearance of 8 year old Bear and then 13 years later the disappearance of Barbara, Bear’s younger sister. 

The story is told in a non-linear fashion where we jump from character to character and decade to decade. Moore slowly hands the reader puzzle pieces with each chapter and as you continue through the book you can slowly but surely piece together the bigger picture. It felt amazing to see this wider story and it’s many layers form in my mind as I turned each page. It was exciting to see how each chapter connected with one another, how each character influenced another character or featured in another characters life in a way you didn’t imagine.

It is quite a feat to tackle that many complicated threads and that many complicated characters. Each character stands strong on its own. I enjoyed every single POV and I don’t think a single character was wasted. My favourite would have to be Alice as we see her turn from an introverted young girl to a very lost middle aged mother. Moore’s characterisation of Alice was written so incredibly well. Her arc is incredibly realistic and I couldn’t look away.

The mystery itself just had its hooks in me from the first page. I was drawn in and literally couldn’t look away. I was spouting theories to my partner and going to bed thinking about what could possibly come up next to confuse and excite me even more. The pacing of the mystery was done so well with little tidbits of info set out for you at every turn so when you thought you were finally done reading for the night you find yourself reading another 10 pages just to make sure you haven’t missed anything.

A perfect thriller for those who want something fresh, exciting and chilling.