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Material Type | Library | Call Number | Suggested Age | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Book | Searching... Cabell County Public Library | BLE | Adult | Searching... Unknown |
| Book | Searching... Cox Landing Public Library | BLE | Adult | Searching... Unknown |
| Book | Searching... Poca Public Library | BLE | Adult | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
From the bestselling author of When I'm Gone and Working Fire comes a gripping novel about a mother, her missing daughter, and the dark secrets that engulf them.
Ever since her husband's death collided with the birth of her daughter, postpartum depression has taken hold of Veronica Shelton. She can't sleep, can't work, and can't bear to touch her beautiful baby girl. Her emotional state is whispering lies in Veronica's ear: You're a bad mother. Your baby would be better off without you. But not everything can be reasoned away by Veronica's despair. Can it?
After all, the break-in at her house happened. The disturbing sketches she found in her studio are real. So is the fear for her daughter's safety--especially when Veronica comes home to a cold, silent nursery and a missing baby.
As she turns from victim into primary suspect, Veronica realizes that only she can find her daughter. Authorities aren't helping. They're only watching. Veronica's concerned mother has suddenly vanished from her life. And a new friend seems to be keeping secrets from her too. Now, reality is waiting for Veronica in a dark place--because someone's mind games have only just begun.
Reviews (2)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Bleeker's engrossing psychological drama opens with Veronica Shelton, a children's book illustrator, waking up one night in her North Carolina home to find her husband, Nick, and their two-week-old daughter, Sophie, gone. Hints suggest that Nick died the same night he took the baby, who later required surgery and was eventually restored to Veronica. Six months after that fateful night, Veronica, who's suffering from postpartum depression, is trying to come to terms with the realization that she must now care for her Sophie alone. Unable to cope, Veronica asks her mother, Barb, to move in and help with the child. Barb agrees, but insists that Veronica see a therapist. In the therapist's waiting room, Veronica becomes friendly with middle-aged Gillian, a Walmart cashier. When Sophie disappears again, she and Gillian set out to reclaim the lost child. The complex denouement reveals one surprise after another. Bleeker (Wreckage) does a good job upsetting readers' expectations in what some may feel is a bit of a shaggy dog story. Agent: Marlene Stringer, Stringer Literary Agency. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Library Journal Review
Veronica Shelton just had a beautiful baby with her husband, but postpartum depression is keeping her from even attempting motherhood, much less enjoying it. In the midst of her crisis, her husband goes missing and is presumed dead, her house is broken into, and her work as a children's book illustrator is suffering. She has the support of her mother, her therapist, and a clingy new friend she met in the therapist's waiting room. Just as she begins to make some small improvements, she meets a new man at the grocery store and her mother and baby disappear. A psychological thriller in the vein of Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl, Bleeker's novel (When I'm Gone; Working Fire) is swiftly paced but occasionally bogs down in places with too much action and implausible detail. Still, all of this freneticism ultimately contributes to the book's conclusion and message about the precariousness and importance of mental health. VERDICT Readers who enjoy authors such as Mary Kubica and Kate Moretti may enjoy this title.-Nicole A. Cooke, GSLIS, Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
