Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

I so enjoyed Watching You by Lisa Jewell that I had to read Then She Was Gone. In this novel we meet Ellie, a promising fifteen-year-old young woman who goes missing. Her mother, Laurel, can't give up the search for her youngest daughter, not even ten years later. When remains are found that indicate it is time to move on from the search, Laurel does the best she can to find a way to start her life again. That is when she meets Floyd and his young daughter Poppy; she is charmed and hoping for a little happiness again. But there is something not quite right about Poppy. Or Floyd. 

There is almost nothing I can imagine that would be more horrific than one's child disappearing without a trace. Laurel has a hard life and doesn't always give the rest of the family the attention they need, but it isn't hard to feel for her.

She'd once viewed her perfect life as a series of bad smells and unfulfilled duties, petty worries and late bills.

And then one morning, her girl, her golden girl, her lastborn, her baby, her soul mate, her pride and joy, had left the house and not come back.

This was a very good book: plenty of twists and turns, lots of mysteries uncovered and perspectives explored. It makes a mother wonder if she has taught her children well enough how to keep themselves safe and it makes a reader wonder how she would be able to cope. This book was creepy and dark, but without shutting out all light entirely. Some of the characters are sweet and wonderful adding balance to those who are horrible and frightening. Not all mysteries/ thrillers have the depth for a good book club discussion, but that was not the case with this one. We had a great discussion and everyone enjoyed the book. I hope you will, too.

Watching You by Lisa Jewell

In Lisa Jewell's Watching You, the whole neighborhood knows what everyone else is doing. The setting is Melville Heights, a posh neighborhood that has become famous for the bright colors of all the houses. Freddie is a teenager obsessed with documenting everyone's departures and arrivals; Tom is the new headmaster at the local school who may have a few secrets he'd rather not reveal; Joey is newly married, but perhaps not happily so; and Jenna is a student at Tom's school who is hoping no one will notice how ill her mother has gotten.

Alternating between two timelines, the discovery of a murder and the events leading up to it, the reader is kept on the edge of her seat wondering not only who did it, but also who is dead. This book was a fun, fast read that I couldn't put down. Having just moved into a new neighborhood, this novel certainly made me wonder who was around me and how much they can see in our house. This was a book club choice and we had more than enough to discus about the characters' motivations and about the plot twists and turns. This is my first Lisa Jewell book, but I'll be reading many more.