Published By: Bantam
Pages: 352
Released On: 06/07/2023
Welcome to Stanhope – a safe neighbourhood. A place for families.
William Wooler is a family man, on the surface. But he’s been having an affair, an affair that ended horribly this afternoon at a motel up the road. So when he returns to his house, devastated and angry, to find his difficult nine-year-old daughter Avery unexpectedly home from school, William loses his temper.
Hours later, Avery’s family declare her missing.
Suddenly Stanhope doesn’t feel so safe. And William isn’t the only one on his street who’s hiding a lie. As witnesses come forward with information that may or may not be true, Avery’s neighbours become increasingly unhinged.
Who took Avery Wooler?
Nothing will prepare you for the truth.
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and Bantam for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
I’ve only read one Shari Lapena book before and that was The Couple Next Door. Now, I will admit to not remembering the ins and outs of it as I read it a while ago, but I do remember thinking it was expertly written and thought out. And so I was expecting the same this time round.
I was completely and utterly absorbed by this book. I read it in less than a day. It’s absolutely thrilling. I couldn’t put it down without knowing the outcome. It is a real rollercoaster. Who can you trust? Who can you believe? Do you really know your neighbours, your colleagues, your kin?
I liked the inclusion of young characters in it. Often in adult books, children are relegated and not really listened to. But they’re front and centre in this and are properly formed characters, rather than an after thought. Shari has great talent at creating families and unlikeable characters. She’s great at worming different layers together, so you never quite know if you’ve got the full picture of someone.
Shari has built this atmosphere, this tense atmosphere where I was almost looking out of my own window for the goings-on.
Books about children going missing are not rare. But what is rare, is how Shari has written it. It’s such a unique take on the idea that it feels so fresh and new.
I like that she’s given us so much about so many people. She could have just written it from the perspective of Avery’s parents. But instead she’s given us the point-of-views of several other characters. It shows how much something like this can ripple. The parents, siblings, neighbours, school friends, colleagues, police – it’s a great insight into everyone’s feelings and possible motives.
One thing I did really like is that it doesn’t wait until the last few pages to work it out. I don’t care for books that build it up and up and up, only to dedicate half a dozen pages at the end to it, wrapping everything up nicely, and you end up feeling a bit short-changed. This takes a turn about half way, maybe 3/4 of the way. Which gives you plenty of time to recover from it and enough to get your teeth into after the suggested outcome. When you think it’s done and dusted, and she’s extracted all she can from the characters sand situation, she gives you more.
But I want more! Whilst you’re left satisfied at the end with whatever outcome Shari has chosen (no spoilers here), I wasn’t quite ready to leave this community. I wanted to keep reading about them and how they get through the difficult time to come. I suppose I’ll just have to manage my withdrawal symptoms until her next book comes along.
Books By Your Bedside 