Friday, February 12, 2016

She's Not There by Joy Fielding

A lifetime ago, every year Carole Shipley looked forward to her wedding anniversary. But then a celebratory trip to Mexico for the occasion with her husband and friends ended in the unsolved kidnapping of her infant daughter, Samantha. Now, fifteen years after that horrific time, divorced and isolated, Carole is forced to relive the kidnapping by reporters who call every year on the anniversary of Samantha’s disappearance. However, this year when the phone rings, Carole hears the sweet voice of a girl claiming to be her long-lost daughter. Plunged back into the world of heartbreak, suspicion and questions that led the case to run cold so many years ago, Carole doesn’t know what or who to believe. But when she starts to figure it out, she finds the answers dangerously close to home.



She's Not There is a light psychological thriller about a toddler who is kidnapped while vacationing in Mexico. The book flips back and forth from the present to the past over a span of fifteen years. It's not heavy into the past, but just certain glimpses of moments that impacted Caroline Shipley's life.

Her daughter Samantha is taken one night while she and her husband on in Mexico celebrating their anniversary. Her other daughter, Michelle, is fine but the story also shows how the loss of her sister and the media attention affected her life, not to mention that her parent's marriage and they themselves are forever changed.

When Caroline gets a phone call from a young teen who thinks she may be her long long daughter, Caroline jumps a plane to get to her, even though she knows that the odds are nil. There have been many con artists over the years taking advantage of her and her family's vulnerable state.

I really enjoyed She's Not There. I read it in two days - it's just so hard to put down. I was really invested in the Shipley's story and although usually I can figure out who did it, I didn't in this case until Fielding wrote it out for me. I enjoyed how the family dynamics were portrayed from several aspects, things I just don't think of in cases like this. Although this is my first Fielding novel, I am anxious to read more of her work. Great suspense!


*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  Wendy 

1 comment:

  1. I have read almost all of Joy Fielding's book. I love her novels. Of course haven't read this one yet because it's too new Will put on my TBR list.

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