The Birthday
Description
One hot summer’s afternoon, five-year-old Ava Sawyer went to a party. She never came home…
When five-year-old Ava Sawyer goes missing from a birthday party at a local garden centre, the police are bewildered by the lack of leads. That is until two years later, when Ava’s body is found and another little girl, Audrey Briggs, goes missing. Audrey also attended that party …
Leading the investigation is Detective Natalie Ward . A mother of two teenagers, this case chills her to the bone, and is a disturbing reminder of the last job she worked on. One that ended very badly.
Natalie soon discovers that Ava’s mother has some worrying gaps in her alibi and as she digs deeper, she’s sure Ava’s father is not telling the full story. And what did the owner of the garden centre Elsa see that day? Something that she’s not telling Natalie …
Just as Natalie is facing up to the grim possibility that Ava and Audrey were killed by someone close to home, another little girl from the party doesn’t come home from her ballet lesson. Can Natalie find a way to stop this killer before more innocent lives are taken?
Gripping, fast-paced and nail-bitingly tense, this book will send shivers down your spine. Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Rachel Abbott and Karin Slaughter.
My Review
Sadly, this book did nothing for me. Detective Natalie Ward is one of those characters that is flawed. She has personal issues that a little bit creep into her work life; yet she does try her hardest to find that balance. I wanted to point this out as I do like "flawed" characters. It shows they are vulnerable and can make them more relatable as well. Which Natalie was for me. Yet, my issue was not with her but more about the story as a whole package.
The story was uninteresting with most of the other characters being just as uninteresting. Even the voice of the killer was muted down. Thus the storyline dragged on and on. It was hard for me to keep finding interest in this book. However, I was determined to finish it as I wanted to see how it would end. Which, I was left unsatisfied by the ending. This is the worst. To read a whole book; only to come to the ending and be left unsatisfied. Plus, I can't really remember any of the other characters names in the story. I will not be continuing this series.
If you want to read this book for yourself, you can on Netgalley.
When five-year-old Ava Sawyer goes missing from a birthday party at a local garden centre, the police are bewildered by the lack of leads. That is until two years later, when Ava’s body is found and another little girl, Audrey Briggs, goes missing. Audrey also attended that party …
Leading the investigation is Detective Natalie Ward . A mother of two teenagers, this case chills her to the bone, and is a disturbing reminder of the last job she worked on. One that ended very badly.
Natalie soon discovers that Ava’s mother has some worrying gaps in her alibi and as she digs deeper, she’s sure Ava’s father is not telling the full story. And what did the owner of the garden centre Elsa see that day? Something that she’s not telling Natalie …
Just as Natalie is facing up to the grim possibility that Ava and Audrey were killed by someone close to home, another little girl from the party doesn’t come home from her ballet lesson. Can Natalie find a way to stop this killer before more innocent lives are taken?
Gripping, fast-paced and nail-bitingly tense, this book will send shivers down your spine. Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Rachel Abbott and Karin Slaughter.
My Review
Sadly, this book did nothing for me. Detective Natalie Ward is one of those characters that is flawed. She has personal issues that a little bit creep into her work life; yet she does try her hardest to find that balance. I wanted to point this out as I do like "flawed" characters. It shows they are vulnerable and can make them more relatable as well. Which Natalie was for me. Yet, my issue was not with her but more about the story as a whole package.
The story was uninteresting with most of the other characters being just as uninteresting. Even the voice of the killer was muted down. Thus the storyline dragged on and on. It was hard for me to keep finding interest in this book. However, I was determined to finish it as I wanted to see how it would end. Which, I was left unsatisfied by the ending. This is the worst. To read a whole book; only to come to the ending and be left unsatisfied. Plus, I can't really remember any of the other characters names in the story. I will not be continuing this series.
If you want to read this book for yourself, you can on Netgalley.
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