Author: Anni Taylor
Genre: Mystery Suspense
Publisher: Books Go Social - Amazon Publ.
Release Date: Jan. 15, 2020
Purchase Link: Amazon
My Rating: 4.5 Gut-Wrenching Hearts
A special thank you to the publisher for an arc of this book.
Synopsis:
It was summer in the mountains when five small children vanished from their nursery school picnic. The heat was stifling that day, the tinkle of an ice-cream van in the air.
Three and a half years later, in the dead of winter, the children are returned by their abductor... one by one. All except for Ivy - the granddaughter of homicide detective Kate Wakeland. The other four children say Ivy is dead. Speculation grows that the kidnappings were revenge for an offender that Detective Wakeland put in jail years before. She engages in a battle of wits between herself, the kidnapper and the cold, vast expanse of mountains in between.
Review:
The cover and synopsis of One Last Child drew my attention like a moth to a flame. I immediately knew it wasn't a matter of if I'd read it, but when. And after the publisher offered me a copy, I knew the time was now. Clueless to the fact that the story setting was in Australia, I began reading and quickly came to appreciate the author's utilization of environment to set an ominous tone in this heartfelt, gut-wrenching story. I highly advise readers to skip all spoilers as the suspense building element of this story depends on the unknown.
The first half of One Last Child deals with the ongoing search and investigation of five children who go missing while on a daycare picnic. A search for the missing children turns into a three and a half year nightmare. I can see why some readers might find the pace a bit slow during this time, but I greatly enjoyed the author's meticulous attention to the smallest of details while crafting this suspenseful story chapter by chapter. Taylor sets and maintains a dismal tone of impending doom as a few slim leads turn into dead-ends. Her manipulation and development of characters throughout the story is fantastic, keeping readers off-balance as they attempt to figure out the who, where, how & why. The second half of the book picks up the pace when prayers are answered and four of the missing children are returned, and the case shifts to focus on why the grandchild of Homicide Det. Kate Wakefield isn't returned with the others. Four families celebrate while one family grieves. Why wasn't Ivy returned with the others? I'm not often left in the dark throughout most of a book, but this story kept me mystified until the end.
One Last Child is an emotional, raw, intense, heartfelt story that tugged on my heart strings time and again. I found myself reading late, burning through pages, praying for answers and a happy-ever-after for each family. The author's ability to set a despondent tone, build suspense and trepidation while keeping readers guessing is nothing short of brilliant in this stunning mystery suspense story. I know I held my breath through much of it. The author drops a small bombshell near the end that appears to be the set-up for the next book in the series, and I can't wait! I'm grateful to have discovered and read this hidden gem in the mystery/suspense/thriller genre. Highly recommended!
My Rating: 4.5 Raw, Emotional Hearts
Cross My Heart . . . xxx
♥Sandra♥
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