ogatka's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
stephaniejnl's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
proudlocks's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed the story but I wasn’t in love with it. It’s so slow in some parts.
There’s a very dark undercurrent to the whole thing which is different from most books I’ve read.
The book is full of unique, developed characters, it’s just a shame about the slowness of it.
There’s a very dark undercurrent to the whole thing which is different from most books I’ve read.
The book is full of unique, developed characters, it’s just a shame about the slowness of it.
truscaveczka's review against another edition
4.0
Warto było przeczekać początek o niczym, żeby dobrnąć do zapierającej dech w piersiach ostatniej sceny. Alex Marwood wie, co robi, i robi to po mistrzowsku.
thebooktrail88's review against another edition
4.0
A holiday home, a party, a missing child, a ‘ripped from the headlines’ novel
Spending time at a holiday home in Bournemouth with an influential bunch of people sounds like a nice premise but this group are never going to be your friends. They are rich, spoilt, self absorbed and their personalities are ‘unique’. The wealth and privilege they enjoy is evident from the holiday home at Sandbanks and the food and drink on offer. the way they speak, their attitude. Each has reacted differently to Coco’s disappearance. Now Sean has died, his fourth wife and all those left behind start to reveal their secrets, their memories of what that fateful weekend involved.
Two narratives, past and present, with the facade of happiness ripped up and revealed amongst a media frenzy, now a funeral in the Sandbanks community.
There is not too much I can or want to say about this book really for the fear of spoiling it. Largely character driven rather than location based as such, this is like looking inside a family, behind the facade of wealth and every kind of judgement that brings and really revealing piece by piece how other people live, how families cope with a disappearance of a young child and what this all means 12 years later. I can’t say I liked any one of the characters but then this is what makes the novel so fascinating. Parents partying whilst their little children look on, a house full of wealth but manipulation and devious secrets too. I’m always chilled in an Alex Marwood novel and this was no exception!
Spending time at a holiday home in Bournemouth with an influential bunch of people sounds like a nice premise but this group are never going to be your friends. They are rich, spoilt, self absorbed and their personalities are ‘unique’. The wealth and privilege they enjoy is evident from the holiday home at Sandbanks and the food and drink on offer. the way they speak, their attitude. Each has reacted differently to Coco’s disappearance. Now Sean has died, his fourth wife and all those left behind start to reveal their secrets, their memories of what that fateful weekend involved.
Two narratives, past and present, with the facade of happiness ripped up and revealed amongst a media frenzy, now a funeral in the Sandbanks community.
There is not too much I can or want to say about this book really for the fear of spoiling it. Largely character driven rather than location based as such, this is like looking inside a family, behind the facade of wealth and every kind of judgement that brings and really revealing piece by piece how other people live, how families cope with a disappearance of a young child and what this all means 12 years later. I can’t say I liked any one of the characters but then this is what makes the novel so fascinating. Parents partying whilst their little children look on, a house full of wealth but manipulation and devious secrets too. I’m always chilled in an Alex Marwood novel and this was no exception!
ladyeremite's review against another edition
3.0
This book is obviously based on the disappearance fo Madeleine McCann, with enough fictional elements added to raise the intrigue and prevent a libel charge. However, if you are familiar with the theories surrounding that case - the "disappearance" of a supremely photogenic, very possibly sedated three-year-0ld daughter of a wealthy family from an unsupervised room at a vacation home while her parents and their friends are at dinner - then it's hard not to see the parallels. The additional plot elements and characters Marwood adds are the ones that end up being the important ones for her story however. In general, it's a well-crafted and well-written thriller, although, particularly at the beginning, the sheer quantity of perspectives can be hard to keep track of, some important elements of the plot are left unanswered and the ultimate resolution(s) to the mystery of Coco's disappearance don't entirely make sense.
caroparr's review against another edition
3.0
I found this looking for a good thriller, and it partly satisfies. The mystery of the toddler's disappearance is compelling, the reveal and then the second, final reveal are wonderfully tricky, and some of the bad guys get what they have coming to them. But these rich, obnoxious adults are hard to take and I did not enjoy spending time with them.
myrdyr's review against another edition
4.0
3.8/5 stars. I liked it a lot, but I found the end a little unsatisfying.
bellvswvn's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75