Found, Near Water
by Katherine Hayton
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Rena
Sutherland wakes from a coma into a mother’s nightmare. Her daughter’s is
missing – lost for four days – but no one has noticed; no one has complained;
no one has been searching.
As the victim support officer assigned to her
case, Christine Emmett puts aside her own problems as she tries to guide Rena
through the maelstrom of her daughter’s disappearance.
A task made harder by an ex-husband desperate
for control; a paedophile on early-release in the community; and a psychic who
knows more than seems possible.
And intertwined throughout, the stories of six
women; six daughters lost.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT:
On the fifteenth of March 2007 I came home after a short
day’s work, and Emma wasn’t there. Jacob was, but he was unconscious on the bed
and from the smell of him he hadn’t got to that state accidentally.
There were the police asking endless questions. There was
the media attention and my daughter’s photo pasted across the front page of a
lot of newspapers. She didn’t look anything like those photos. She was living,
breathing, full of motion and life and energy. She would snuggle in next to me
on a weekend morning and run a length of my hair through her pudgy wee hands
and exclaim in admiration ‘Mummy. You’re so pretty.’
I thought that not knowing was the worst thing I could ever
endure. Not knowing if she was in trouble or needing my help or in pain. I
worried that she’d been taken by someone that would hurt her, then I worried
that she’d been taken by someone who would love her and care for her and in a
year or two she’d have forgotten I ever existed. Not knowing was killing me.
But it turned out that knowing was far worse. When I went to
the hospital to identify my beautiful girl’s broken body - that was worse than
not knowing. When I buried her in the cemetery and compared the size of the
gravesite to the other freshly buried bodies - that was worse than not knowing.
When I drank myself to sleep on the anniversary of her sixth birthday, and
realised that I would likely be doing that until my life ended - that was worse
than not knowing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My Review:
****
It 's a chilling and shocking romance but the author has been very good to involve the reader in the story: once started to read it is impossible to put it down. The main argument of the book are missing children and their parents' suffering: a pain that never ends and should never be tried.
Christine knows that pain but decided to use her suffering to help women like her and created a support group. She is contacted by Rena, a mother who has awakened from a coma after a bad car accident and has not found her little girl Chloe. A psychic says she could be near water. As the investigation unfolds, we learn of the sad stories that have lived the other mothers of support group. In particular Terry, who sees the murderess of her daughter free after only six years
It 's really a good read, engaging, though sad and moving. Must read for those who love true stories and psychological thrillers
****
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Katherine Hayton
is a 41 year old woman who works in insurance, doesn't have children or pets,
can't drive, has lived in Christchurch
For some reason she's developed a rich fantasy
life.
Buy her book and she'll be able to retire in
luxury. Or in comfort. Or in
just-scraping-by-but-at-least-I'm-not-in-the-office-24-7-ness.
Go on.
A short interview
1. Any weird things you do when you’re
alone?
Why? What do you mean? Who’s looking?
Nothing that seems weird to me. I do talk
to myself a lot, usually when I’m typing, but I’m happy to do that in front of
people as well so I don’t think that counts. I do throw my controller across
the room a lot when the game doesn’t work properly (read: I’m not good at
aiming so keep missing things) but I’m sure that’s what they’re designed to do
otherwise I would’ve broken one by now.
I laugh out loud a lot at things that are
only going on in my head, but surely everyone’s doing that?
2. What is your favorite quote and why?
It’s never too late to be the person you
always wanted to be – George Elliot. I think I like it because I’ve started
again later in life to try to make something of myself, and this saying reminds
me that I can keep doing that until I’m dead.
3. What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
Cookies ‘n’ cream. I think I eat more
cookies in ice cream each year than I do in cookies! I love the slight chewy roughness
of the cookie amidst all the smoothness of the cream.
4. Which mythological creature are you most like?
Judging from my hair some mornings I’m
tempted to say Medusa, but I think I’m more like Laelaps hunting the Teumessian
fox. I’m a dog that always catches its prey hunting a fox that can never be
caught. I like paradoxes.
5. What are four things you can’t live without?
Holidays, reading, writing, wifi. Even
attempt to take one of those things away from me and I’ll cut your hand off.
With a spoon.
Amazon Links:
Author Page: amazon.com/author/katherinehayton
Kindle:
http://amzn.com/B00LNUMCZ2
Paperback:
http://amzn.com/0473279932
Twitter:
Blogger:
Facebook:
Goodreads:
Website:
Buona Sera and thanks for hosting me today. Thanks also to any readers dropping by with questions or comments. Cheers.
RispondiEliminaThanks for hosting!
RispondiEliminaThanks for the review!
RispondiEliminaTrix, vitajex(at)Aol(Dot)com