Found

The possibility pile that I posted just a few days should probably be renamed, because I’ve strayed from it twice already! As a mood reader, I do find it challenging to set myself reading lists. In this case, I was really in the mood for a thriller so it was Found by Erin Kinsley that made me wander off track. The story starts with every parents’ worst nightmare. Eleven year old Evan is walking home from school with his friend, Stewie, they part company at the bus stop; Stewie makes it home on time but Evan vanishes without trace. Despite their best efforts, the police have no answers. Months later, Evan is found alive, frightened and so traumatised he cannot speak. His parents spent the time he was away praying for him to come home but now they realise that life will never be the same again. I stormed through this one just desperate to find out what happened to Evan. I think a little unusually for a thriller, I found the story to be more emotional than stressful. The way the story plays out and the effect it has on each character kept me turning the pages. The are some great, and absolutely believable characters but my standout favourite is Evan’s Grandad, what a man! What I loved most about Found, is that Erin Kinsley has written with great sensitivity. I was worried at one point that there would be upsetting descriptions of what had happened to Evan, instead she cleverly tells the story without graphic details. It is still enough to be upsetting but it is all implied and just left me feeling so sad for Evan and his family. Found is one of the BBC Radio 2 Book Club summer choices and I have to say, Jo Whiley has picked some really brilliant books this year. I’ve got one left to read (The Offing by Benjamin Myers) but so far I have thoroughly enjoyed them all.

What’s been the best thriller you’ve read recently?