I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Birthday Party by Wendy Dranfield Narrator: Sarah Borges
Also by this author: Shadow Falls, Cry for Help, Little Girl Taken, Gone to Her Grave
Published by Bookouture Audio on 7th January 2022
Genres: Crime, Mystery, Psychological, Suspense, Thriller
Length: 10 hours and 52 minutes
Format: Audiobook
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Charlotte waves at her mother across the crowded lawn. Little red boots on, cowboy hat crooked over her blonde pigtails, she’s been looking forward to this party for weeks. Moments later, she disappears without a trace…
Kathy Hamilton drives away from her sister-in-law’s pristine-white suburban house in Maple Falls certain she’s left her daughter in safe hands. On the hottest day of the year, a birthday is the perfect excuse to gather friends, family and neighbors around the pool for a barbecue. But when she returns hours later to find her little girl has vanished, her world shatters.
Nobody laughing and drinking in the garden that day saw anything unusual.
Kathy’s eldest daughter is anxious and hardly eating. Is she sick with worry for her sister, or hiding a terrible secret?
The phone rings and rings, but why can’t Kathy get hold of the babysitter?
And is she imagining it, or when her husband rushed from work to join the search, was he wearing a different shirt to the one she saw him leave the house in that morning?
As the temperature rises, and long-buried secrets begin to surface, it’s clear that even the most perfect families keep devastating secrets. But in a town as small as this, is there anyone you can trust?
A totally gripping and utterly addictive page-turner that will have you racing through and reeling at the twists. Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Gone Girl and Teresa Driscoll, it will keep you up reading all night long!
Thank you to Bookouture for letting me take part in this tour and for my copy of this book via Netgalley. I had both the audio and the ebook. I decided to listen to the audiobook version. I love the Maddison Harper series so I was very excited to read this book.
The main character in this book is Kathy. At first, I wasn’t sure how I felt about Kathy but as the book progressed I felt so sad for her. She has been through so much and for what reason? Well, I won’t spoil that but in my opinion, it wasn’t worth it.
The first half of this book really concentrates on the investigation of missing little Charlie. This was seen from all angles. The family, the press and the police.
The second half really focuses on the why of Charlie’s disappearance. As more and more secrets were revealed it was clear to me that this all could have easily been avoided with the truth. Wendy does a great job keeping the tension and suspense up and the suspicions high. I didn’t trust anyone!
Sarah was an excellent narrator. Her voice reflected the situations and it was easy to tell who was speaking at what points.
I really enjoyed all the twists and turns in this book and I can’t wait for Wendy’s next one.
About Wendy Dranfield
Wendy is a former coroner’s assistant turned crime writer who lives in the UK with her husband and 3 cats.
As well as her two crime series and the YA crime novel – The Girl Who Died – Wendy has several short stories published in UK and US anthologies. She has also been shortlisted and longlisted for various competitions, including the Mslexia Novel Competition
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
@WendyDranfield Thank you!
@bookouture Thanks, Emma! 💕🚔📚