"Never go back into the woods.
That's what she and Maddie had vowed to each other after they had escaped.
Never go back and never look back.
Maddie had done both."
And now she was missing.
Midsummer's Eve. The Forest of Dean. A local legend known as the Cinderman--a local legend who supposedly haunts the woods and preys on young women. An off-grid commune in the forest called The Clearing. Two sisters (Adele and Maddie)...one missing, the other desperate to find her. An Earl and his son. And Dr. Laughton Rees, a criminologist who's been tracking cases of missing women. She heads to the insular community of Cinderfield to help investigate Maddie's disappearance, not knowing there are other dark secrets in play.
My thoughts: I think I've found a new favorite author. I really enjoyed this mystery. Toyne creates a real sense of urgency as the evil in Cinderfield starts to close in on Rees and Adele. The tension is palpable. Good writing and good suspense made this a very compelling read. And I really liked Laughton Rees. I very much want to read Toyne's previous mystery with her now. There is one major plot twist at the end of this one that had me questioning the feasibility of it in regards to the timeline. But then I decided to let it go and just enjoy the moment. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Happy Reading!
Lark, this one does sound interesting. I'll see if my library has it. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteGreat review! Yes, sometimes we have to just let the story be the story.
ReplyDeleteSounds like quite the page-turner…and sometimes you just have to suspend your disbelief and just go with the flow. Especially is something like that happens at the end of a book.
ReplyDeleteAdding this to my TBR. I don't mind suspending belief if the story itself is enjoyable enough which sounds like the case here.
ReplyDeleteThis does sound good! I don't read a lot of modern crime, but I think I would like this author.
ReplyDeleteAnother one for the reading list. It does sound like a winner.
ReplyDelete