I’m pleased to be sharing my review of Without A Trace as part of the blog tour today  It’s written with thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me on the tour and to Killer Reads for my copy of the book.

Blurb:

Lily’s gone.

Someone took her.

Unless she was she never there…

A little girl has gone missing.

Lily was last seen being tucked into bed by her adoring mother, Nova. But the next morning, the bed is empty except for a creepy toy rabbit.

Has Nova’s abusive ex stolen his “little bunny” back for good?

At first, Officer Ellie James assumes this is a clear custody battle. Until she discovers that there are no pictures of the girl and her drawers are full of unused toys and brand new clothes that have never been worn…

Is Ellie searching for a missing child who doesn’t actually exist?

Review:

I was immediately drawn into the sense of mystery that surrounds Without A Trace. There are so many questions and I was very keen to answer them, but just as I thought the solution was in my grasp, a revelation was made which forced me to completely rethink. I enjoyed this aspect of the novel as it kept me on my toes and encouraged me to keep turning pages until the very end.

Without A Trace is narrated by three different characters: Nova (the mother), Ellie (the cop) and Clara (the neighbour). This gave me more insight into their personalities and habits, but it also made me question if their accounts were reliable, particularly in the cases of Nova and Clara  Both women definitely have something to hide and this adds an extra layer of tension and mystery.

Domestic violence is clearly an important theme in Without A Trace. I was impressed by the way that Lynch chose to portray it. She has not shied away from the seriousness of it, and some of the scenes in the novel are uncomfortable,  but by ensuring that the reader has reason to doubt Nova, she mirrors the difficulty that some victims have in terms of having their story heard and believed.

Without A Trace is available from Amazon

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