{I've Been Reading} The Housewarming

 

 The Housewarming by S.E. Lynes

This domestic thriller opens with a moment of sheer panic. While her daughter was occupied in her stroller, Ava took a brief moment for herself. The strap was buckled, the door was locked, she'd easily hear if her little one needed her.... But that brief moment stretched just a bit too long and the door to the front of the house wasn't locked. Ava's panic and growing despair quickly pulled me into this one. It's not always clear whether she's in the moment when her child disappeared or looking back from a year later, but that's okay because Ava is a mess and sometimes seems not quite sure herself. She's barely holding herself together. I loved this one, but it's heartbreaking to find out what happened that morning. 

Gone Before by Sam Hepburn 

Fifteen years ago, a five year old girl was abducted and never recovered. Now, a young woman knocks nervously on a door holding a  battered yellow rain hat stitched with Maya's name. The joyous  reunion doesn't last for long and at one point the plot had twisted so much that  I started to feel like I'd picked up the wrong book midway through. Despite the sudden change in the tone and direction of the plot, this is an enjoyable domestic thriller. 

The Hiding Place by C. J. Tudor 

The protagonist of this book is a liar. To get himself hired at the high school he attended at a teen, he invents references and an explanation for the holes in his work history. There are similar holes in the story he's telling the reader and  the first half of the book drags on. It's not clear why Joe has returned to his old hometown until what started out as a thriller becomes a horror novel. That sudden switch in genre is jarring, especially since the horror elements of the plot are so similar to what was already done in a well known novel with two movie adaptations. 

Disclosure -- This post contains affiliate links. The publishers provided me with advance review  copies.