Fast paced and well constructed with a bit of mystery that lingers to the very end. ( )

Lucinda, la hija de su mejor amiga, Kate Riverty, ha desaparecido mientras estaba a su cargo. Lo peor es que Lisa ni siquiera se acordaba de que estaba a su cargo, de que esa noche debía quedarse a dormir en su casa. Solo lo advierte a la mañana siguiente, cuando Lucinda ya ha desaparecido sin dejar rastro. Es lo que le faltaba a Lisa para sentirse la peor madre del mundo. El mismo día en que Lucinda desaparece, el cuerpo semidesnudo de una niña es encontrado a varios kilómetros. Tanto la policía como las dos familias afectadas piensan que seguramente Lucinda haya corrido la misma suerte, así que Lisa comienza su propia investigación.

This was an audiobook narrated by Laura Brattan, with three narrators: Lisa Kallisto, who is a harassed but loving mother and wife, devastated when the 13 year old daughter of her friend goes missing - when Lisa was supposed to be looking after her; an unnamed narrator who, it quickly becomes obvious, is a paedophile; and a third person narrator who concentrates mainly on the police investigation into the missing girl.

Lisa is understandably wracked with guilt when Lucinda Rivety disappears, and more so when it is believed that she was taken by a man who had already taken one girl and subjected her to a brutal rape. As Lisa's world falls apart, the race is on to find Lucinda, but in so doing, secrets and lies become known and it seems that people are not always what they seem.

I don't want to give too much away about the story, but I will say that I liked Lisa a lot. I also liked Joanne, the Detective Constable investigating the disappearance. However, there was a side story featuring Joanne wanting to get a breast reduction and I felt this served no purpose in the story and could easily have been edited out.

There was one twist which I didn't predict and which I thought was well done, but the final denouement seemed rushed, as though the author had just tacked the ending on to get it finished quickly. Having said that, I did enjoy the book for the majority of the time, although most of the characters were not particularly likeable (the aunt of the missing girl was particularly unbearable). There was also another twist which seemed ludicrous to me, and spoiled the book somewhat. Nonetheless, I would read or listen to more by Paula Daly.

On a final note, the narration was excellent. ( )

An impressive debut from Paula Daly who was inspired by real life stories. Filled with convincing characters, this is a page-turner right to the unpredictable ending. I'll be on the lookout for more from Daly. ( )

In Paula Daly's page turning debut novel, set in the wonderful wintry Lake District, we encounter every parent's nightmare - a missing child. Where this novel stands out from the rest is the fact that Lucinda went missing when she was supposed to be in the care of her best friend's Mum, Lisa. I really felt Lisa's anguish pouring out of the page as she crushed herself under the weight of blame. I willed her on, together with her husband Joe, when she found the courage to face Kate and Guy.

When suspicions turn towards Lucinda's Dad, Guy, I knew he had something to hide and, I have to admit, I did suspect what it was but I didn't get it 100% right and I certainly didn't see the other twists coming.

I loved the inclusion of the scenes at Lisa's animal shelter and when she was out on a rescue visit; it was written with such feeling and was cleverly linked to the abduction story. These shelters do such amazing work and I thought it was brilliant that the author managed to raise awareness of the plight of such establishments whilst dealing with such a tense storyline.

We are also introduced to DC Joanne Aspinall, her colleague DS Ron Quigley and her auntie Mad Jackie - characters who also make an appearance in Keep Your Friends Close. I do like to see some of the same characters in books as you feel like you get to know them. These characters inject a bit of humour into a serious storyline - there are some hilarious pages discussing alcohol consumption and Ron says he's not much of a boozer, he just has five or six pints on an evening!

Paula Daly is certainly one to watch - her writing brings the characters to life and with more twists than a Curly Wurly, I can't put her books down and read this in one sitting (thanks to Tempur for providing the cushion). ( )