The Lost Child - Ann Troup

"Mandy Miller disappeared from Hallow’s End when she was just 3 years old. She was never found.

Thirty years on, Elaine Ellis is carrying her mother’s ashes back to Hallow’s End to scatter them in the place that she once called home. Elaine has never been there, but it’s the only place Jean talked about while she was growing up – so it seems as good a place as any.

As Elaine settles into her holiday cottage in the peaceful Devonshire village, she gets to know the locals; family she never knew she had, eccentric and old-fashioned gentry, and new friends where she would least expect them. But she is intrigued by the tale of the missing girl that the village still carries at its heart, and which somehow continues to overshadow them all. Little does she know how much more involved in the mystery she will become…"

I really, really enjoyed this. The story of a missing child and a woman who returns to her mother's home town after her mother dies, I found this a brilliant tale full of secrets and lies and I devoured it in one sitting. Although in some places I felt things could have been a little darker, the story line is very well-written, and the characters come to life. I liked Elaine, but Brodie is a wonderful character, and quickly became my favourite.

The thing I did enjoy most about this novel is that whilst the main twist is revealed fairly early on in the book, there were more secrets and lies, little plot twists dotted here and there throughout, making the whole story just that little bit more exciting - just when you though that you knew everything there was to know, another little secret was revealed. 

The Lost Child is out now and you can get it here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lost-Child-Ann-Troup

**Thank you to the wonderful Northern Star Promotions for my ARC**