I very much enjoyed this book. Eight year old Carmel suddenly disappears at a storytelling festival. The story is told alternately from the mother's and Carmel's perspectives.
Whilst somewhat implausible in places, it is well written and definitely a page turner.

The Girl in the Red Coat - Kate Hamer

Devastating and yet compelling. Every parent's worst nightmare made chillingly realistic in 'The Girl in the Red Coat'.
Hamer narrates this from the perspective of the parent and the child, thus adding more interest. Emotions run high in this and the reader is even made to feel some empathy for the perpetrator, which I feel helps make this that little bit different to other similar storylines.
I would certainly recommend this.
Thank you to Faber & Faber and NetGalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Beth Wakeford is the over protective mother of 8 year old Carmel. When Carmel goes missing from a fairy tale festival, Beths worst nightmare comes true.
Carmel is taken by "Dennis" who says he is her estranged grandfather and that she has to live with him now as her mother has had an accident. Dennis is a Pastor and believes Carmel has special healing powers and soon she is taken to various bible meetings where she lays her hands on the sick in the hope of healing them.
As the days turn to weeks, months, years - Beth struggles to move on with her life and Carmel starts to question who she is but always reminding herself of her name and her family life before.

The story is told from Beth and Carmel's perspectives on how that fateful day affected both their lives.

Not the thriller I was looking for.

This is the story of Carmel and her mother, Beth. Carmel is 8 years old when she goes missing from a story festival that she is attending with her mother. It isn't like Carmel has form - she has already been missing in a maze. However, Beth panics and starts searching for Carmel in the fog. After 5 hours of searching by Beth and the festival staff, the police are called and an official search for Carmel begins.

Carmel, meanwhile, has left the festival in the company of a man who is claiming to be her grandfather....but who is he really and what does he want? And why isn't she allowed to visit the hospital where she has been told her mother is very sick following an accident?

This follows Carmel and Beth across the intervening 5 or 6 years as Beth tries first of all to find Carmel and then to put her life back together while she hopes against hope that Carmel is found. Meanwhile, Carmel has been spirited to the USA using a fake passport - all while being drugged out of her mind so she can't ask for help. Believing her mother is dead and her father doesn't want her, Carmel sets about making the best of things.

I was hoping for an exciting story about child abduction but what I got was a very slow paced story about abduction and religious beliefs. Carmel's captor is a faith healer and believes that she has the power to heal both himself and other people for money. While she does perform some healings she doesn't achieve the success that he had hoped.

This was not the thriller I was hoping it was going to be. Coupled with the confusing writing style that flicks back and forward between Beth and Carmel with no indication that a change is imminent, I was disenchanted with the novel and couldn't wait to finish it so I didn't have to read it again.

Some will love it, but it just wasn't for me at all.

Thanks to Netgalley and Publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Really not a great fan of this type of book but thought I would try to see if this was warranted. I read but couldn't say that I enjoyed it. Author tried to keep me interested and I finished it but still didn't enjoy. A little far fetched at times.
Many thanx to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book

I was utterly captivated by this story, I was so enchanted by Carmel I couldn’t stop turning page after page.

It’s every parents nightmare come true when your child goes missing but Beth does EVERYTHING in her power to find Carmel and bring her home.

It’s was quite a different style to read but I liked seeing it through both Beth’s and Carmel’s eyes as you get both perspectives

Compelling and page-turning, this is an essential thriller that will keep you up all night. I’m so excited for the next book in the series.

Thank you for giving me the chance to review this book. It covers an uncomfortable subject over a few years with tension in it from the start. The ending seemed kind of flat and didn't seem to reward the time invested in reading,

This story was very well written with so much depth and so many layers I couldn’t put it down, drawn into the story I just needed to know how it would all play out. Told from both mother and daughter with a haunting overlay and wonderful completing characters.

I was ecpecting a thriller about child abduction which i didn't get, however, what I did get I really liked. It was such a thought provoking, poignant and beautifully written book and I loved that you got different points of view. I will definitely be looking for more from this author

I liked the premise of this book, so often child abduction stories centre on sexual abuse or murder, so it was interesting that the reasons for taking Carmel were so different (although no less nefarious).
I was also interested in the life of itinerant US preachers/religious communities so also found that interesting.
The loss of the mother and confusion of the daughter was well described and the prose/narrative had a very realistic raw outlook that really allowed us into their emotions and feelings.
Where it fell down for me a little was the supernatural aspect, I would have preferred if Carmel's 'talents' were a little more rooted in reality but it's a small point because I really enjoyed reading this one.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. Not what I was expecting, this was a good story told from different points of view. I enjoyed it.

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley, Fabler and Fabler and the Author for the opportunity to read this book in advance of the new release by Kate Hamer.

Secondly, this book was much much better than I expected it to be. I went in with very little expectation but not really knowing much either. My initial anticipations about Carmel and therefore the story were incorrect so it was nice to see the different plot. I’m not very good at books written in two voices but this wasn’t so bad - I also listened to the audiobook alongside this and so could differentiate easier because of the voices. My only main criticism was that it seemed to implausible and unbelievable and I struggled with some aspects. One of which was Carmel getting to America. However, an interesting debut novel and I will be reading more by Kate Hamer as my mind is not yet made up.

Whilst overall I enjoyed the book, at times I found it rather confusing as it switched between mother and daughter narrating the story. It really wasn’t quite what I expected and did after a while seem to drag a little. Then when the ending came it seemed really sudden and left a lot unresolved. But it was a meaningful book and I did want to get to the end to find out where the story would lead to.

What a disturbing novel! A young girl is abducted and used as a faith healer and shares her journey in her own voice. A beautifully written, poignant and thought provoking read that held my attention throughout. There really isn't anything else I can say (except, read it!) without dropping a spoiler into my review.

I was given the chance to read this book and the new book “lost girls”. Beth is separated from her partner and bringing up her daughter, Carmel. A difficult relationship from a protective mother. She takes Carmel to the fairground where they are separated. A man claims to be her grandfather and her mother has been hurt. What follows is Carmel being abducted. The story cleverly follows Carmel and her uncertainty but love for parents, and a mothers love for her lost daughter and never giving up. I was totally drawn to this book by the story, a parents love and a need to know what would happen.

Carmel gets lost at a local festival and is found by a man who tells her he is her grandfather. He further tells her that her mother has had an accident and now she must live with him.

As time passes she realises that this man thinks she has a special gift.

This is well-paced and, at times, a gripping thriller. I enjoyed the story as it moves on well and is easy to read. Well worth a read.

Definitely not my usual type of book which is why I picked to push myself out of my comfort zone.

However, I loved the way the characters were wrote but something felt like it was missing and I don’t know what.

Thank you for providing me with an advance review copy of this book. Enjoyed reading, would recommend....

Quite enjoyable if a little frustrating at times when thinking why would a character do that instead of doing what's sensible.

The two perspective narrative can also be a bit frustrating at times.

Overall though pretty well written and worth the time spent reading.