Eight year old Carmel is abducted at a storytelling event by a man who believes she has a special gift. Carmel’s mother Beth vows to find her lost daughter, but finds it a struggle to carry on in life, and meanwhile Carmel believes the stories her captor tell her and doesn’t even realise that she is lost.

I have had this book languishing on my shelf for some time and finally decided to pick it up. It appears to be marketed as a crime / mystery novel, but I think that that’s a bit misleading; there is certainly a crime, but very little mystery. From the reader’s point of view, we know exactly what has happened to Carmel, and why. I’m not sure if this is the reason I was somewhat underwhelmed at first – because I was perhaps expecting something different? Either way, the first half of the book was readable, but was never a can’t-put-down story for me. It did improve in the second half but still wasn’t one of those books that you just can’t get enough of.

The chapters are told alternately by the Beth and Carmel, and we follow them throughout their attempts to make sense of their new lives – their ‘new normal’ as it were. I found Beth’s story considerably more interesting than Carmel’s and also found Beth to be far more believable as a character.

The story did hold my attention well enough for me to want to finish the book, and I can definitely see that some people would love it, but in the end for me it wasn’t a bad read, just not as good as I would have hoped. ( )

In the Girl in the Red Coat Hamer has proven herself a master of describing the torturous & visceral feelings of shock, pain and loss.

So much layered depth to both Beth and Carmel, and how they refused to give up on each other. Carmel's innate wisdom and empathy helped save her from completely fading away.

Strong plot, characters, settings, dialogue, and timing. Beautiful read.

Eight year old Carmel goes missing at a reading festival and is abducted by a man who persuades her that he’s her grandfather. He, in fact, belongs to a religious cult. She finds herself on a very strange journey indeed whilst her mother, Beth, is frantically trying the find her, never giving up hope of being reunited with her child.

This is a beautifully written story about love, loss and survival. The voices of Carmel and Beth are very realistic. They are such resilient and determined characters, showing much strength in their adversity. I was totally immersed in both Carmel’s and Beth’s journeys, there is an acute sense of Beth’s angst and isolation and Carmel’s bewilderment and her all abiding spirit. There is also a sense of unease throughout. I read this book via the Pigeonhole app and eagerly awaited each stave every day. A riveting and emotional read which I can highly recommend. I look forward to reading the sequel, The Lost Girls, in due course. ( )

I almost didn’t finish this book. Not because the writing wasn’t incredible or that the story wasn’t readable. It was too much. I couldn’t stand to turn the page, I didn’t want anything bad to happen, it was so realistic, and as a mother, the anxiety was killing me. I feel that lately, kidnappings and abductions are en vogue in the literary world, and it makes me want to hold my kids that much tighter, and never let them go. Of course I didn’t put it down, I’m not a quitter! I’m so glad that I finished, because this is a surprising tale. This is a truly unique novel that I couldn’t even have guessed what was coming next. The more I read, the more I realize that the same plot lines can easily be recycled with different authors and different characters, but this was, over and above, an original plot. The author does well to portray the grief of the mother, the hope, the letting go, and the moving on. Friendships are discovered, mended and forged. It’s not just an abduction story, it’s about accepting circumstances and living with the hand you’re dealt. Accepting fate and doing your best not to lose who you are in the world. ( )

I can't seem to stop reading "missing girl" thrillers. This one is pretty good. ( )