Kimberly Belle | THREE DAYS MISSING

Plot (via Goodreads):

It’s every parent’s worst nightmare: the call that comes in the middle of the night.

When Kat Jenkins awakens to the police on her doorstep, her greatest fear is realized. Her nine-year-old son, Ethan, is missing—vanished from the cabin where he’d been on an overnight field trip with his class. Shocked and distraught, Kat rushes to the campground where he was last seen. But she’s too late; the authorities have returned from their search empty-handed after losing Ethan’s trail in the mountain forest.

Another mother from the school, Stef Huntington, seems like she has it all: money, prominence in the community, a popular son and a loving husband. She hardly knows Kat, except for the vicious gossip that swirls around Kat’s traumatic past. But as the police investigation unfolds, Ethan’s disappearance will have earth-shattering consequences in Stef’s own life—and the paths of these two mothers are about to cross in ways no one could have anticipated.

Racing against the clock, their desperate search for answers begins—one where the greatest danger could lie behind the everyday smiles of those they trust the most.

Review:

OKAY, KIMBERLY BELLE. OKAY. This novel just really starts off with a bang. Kat puts kid on the bus, waves goodbye. BOOM. Kid goes missing. I love how Belle wastes no time just getting right into the meat of the story. And let me tell you, what a story it is. Right away, I loved Belle's writing. It was so detailed that I could smell the dirt, feel the chill in the air, and hear the rain she described coming down in Chapter 2. Nothing is more sinister than the red and blue lights flashing in a dark house during a rainstorm. Belle has a knack for atmosphere. She immediately had my attention and didn't loosen her grip until well after the terrifying last chapter. 

I loved the alternating chapters between our two main characters. Not only was it a great contrast to one another, but just the different storylines and personalities were so much fun to read. I mean, these women are like oil and water. Yet, seeing the storylines kind of merge together as one and yet have their differences was not only mind candy for a reader, but really ramped up the plot to this novel. Running parallel with the pacing, these characters were dazzling, strong, and exceptional to read. Seriously, I would read these women trying to decide what to order for takeout. Their personalities and strengths in motherhood were well-detailed and glowed throughout the pages. 

Let's see...great characterization, flawless atmosphere...what else? Oh yeah. Let's talk about the twists and turns that come with this one. This book flew by for me. Like, the pacing was just spot on. I wanted to dive in a little and see what this one had to offer before running errands and grabbing lunch for the day and before I knew it, I was 85 pages in and quite annoyed with myself for not doing said errands earlier in the week. After putting this one down, I did about two hours worth of work in an hour...travel included. I just couldn't stop. I wasn't immersed, I was drowning. Alice down the rabbit hole I went into this novel and if it hadn't ended, no one would've been able to drag me out. I was not only utterly hooked, but saddened when the entire thing came to a shocking conclusion. After the last chilling scene that left my jaw hanging open, I actually believe I felt my first pang of separation anxiety. I've been feeling it ever since.

Special thanks to Park Row books for providing me with this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 4.5/5