Gone Without a Trace by Mary Torjussen + a Giveaway

Happy Monday, readers! I hope you all had a fantastic weekend! I spent mine hanging with friends and enjoying the fantastic weather here. Oh, and reading of course :)

One of the books on my weekend reading roster was Mary Torjussen's debut, Gone Without a Trace.

Hannah has spent weeks preparing for a big meeting in Oxford, and it's well worth it. By the end of the day, it seems she's on the fast track for promotion and she's ready to share the news with her boyfriend, Matt. But when Hannah arrives home, Matt is gone. As is every trace that he's ever been there. What's more, her phone and tablet have been wiped clean of him as well: no calls in the log, no number or email address, no texts, no photos... everything is gone. 

Hannah doesn't know what to do or where to turn. As she tries desperately to find out what happened to Matt, her life begins to spiral out of control. She's slipping at work, she's hardly able to pull herself together, and she believes someone has been coming into her home when she's not there. Is she going mad or is Matt playing with her?

Gone Without a Trace was almost painfully tense. I knew there had to be a twist coming but I could not for the life of me figure out what it was going to be. It was fun, but almost agonizing as well!

Hannah is, at times, infuriating. When she discovers Matt's gone and claims she has no way of getting in touch with him because she no longer has his phone number... I really wanted to scream at her! But I sympathized with her as well - I know plenty of people who would be in this boat, sadly. And she's genuinely confused and devastated over the whole thing.

It's understandable considering Matt has literally wiped away all trace of himself and their history together. That takes time and planning, all of which Hannah was apparently oblivious to. It makes the reader really begin to wonder what's going on here. Was it Matt at all? The texts and the fact that Hannah believes someone has been in her house really ratchet up that suspense too.

I was afraid that with all of that build up, the end would potentially fall flat. I have to say, though, that I really appreciated the twist when it did arrive. It was unexpected, that's for sure, and turned the story on its head. More surprisingly, even with the crumbs I now see were left as hints, I never saw it coming! It's a twist that I think is going to stick with me for a while.

Gone Without a Trace officially hits shelves Tuesday, but I'm also giving away a copy here on the blog. To enter to win, fill out the Rafflecopter below before Monday, May 1. Open US only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh

On a rainy day in December, a driver hits and kills Jacob Jordan then speed saway. DI Ray Stevens and DC Kate Evans are determined from the start to see the killer prosecuted but when months go by without any new evidence, they're forced to close the case.

Meanwhile, Jacob's mother has disappeared, frustrated by her belief that the police aren't doing everything they can to find the person who stole her son away from her. 

I Let You Go first came across my radar last fall thanks to glowing reviews in the UK. Even Elizabeth Haynes threw her own blurb into the mix calling it "Absorbing, authentic, and deeply unsettling: a stellar achievement, and so deliciously clever." This is Elizabeth Haynes, folks, an author whose recommendations I've taken on title before and she's never steered me wrong!

I settled in with I Let You Go expecting some sort of twisted story or crazy twist to the story and I have to say I was rewarded. When part two began, my jaw was on the floor already and there was still more than half of the book left to get through! And at no point did I actually have the story figured out, even though I was sure I had it more than once.

One of the interesting things Mackintosh does is play with the timeline. In the early chapters it's not entirely clear how much time has passed until Stevens's boss pulls him in to close the case after six months. We see more of the passage of time through Stevens as well with updates on his son in particular, who's struggling in school. Without them, and a few notations about holidays passing (part two begins one year after the accident), I automatically assumed early on that we were moving in a much quicker timeline. It was somewhat disorienting to realize that was not the case, but pleasantly so as it was the first indication I had that Mackintosh was already bending my perceptions almost unnoticeably.

I Let You Go isn't an easy read in terms of the topics covered and the emotions they evoke in the reader. Especially when you take into account how the author is actually playing with our minds throughout the book! It is an utterly fascinating read, though, and the insight given through the eyes of the various characters makes it even more so.

Early in the book, chapters alternate between the police and Jenna. Stevens and Evans become almost obsessed with the case, allowing it to seep into every aspect of their lives. But they feel justified in that they do finally make an arrest after twelve months of searching. Jenna, meanwhile, has taken up residence in a small beach resort town, living as anonymously as possible in the wake of the tragic event that has so altered her life. There are other characters introduced after the arrest is made, but you'll have to read the book yourself to find out who they are and how they play into the story.

Clare Mackintosh's debut is a fabulously mind bendy read perfect for fans of psychological suspense. And as the image below stresses: read it, recommend it, but whatever you do don't spoil it!

Rating: 4/5

Shelf Control: Missing Monday by Matthew Costello

It's Wednesday and that means it's time for a Shelf Control post!

Shelf Control is a weekly meme hosted by Bookshelf Fantasies, giving book junkies like me a chance to highlight some of the lingering titles in our TBR stacks!

What it's about (from the back of the book):

On Sunday night Janna Wade went to sleep and had the dream. 

The black clouds roiling in the sky...

The isolated farmhouse beckoning in the distance...

The stairway leading into nothing...

The choking sobs coming from behind the door...

Open the door Janna. Don't be afraid, your screams will wake you.

When Janna does awaken, it's Tuesday - an entire day lost. Yet according to her friends she was at work, her e-mails were answered, her lunch dates were met, and her phone calls were returned. In fact, it was a day just like any other. Except Janna doesn't remember a thing. It's as if she wasn't there at all. And if Janna wasn't there, who was?

The answer comes with a stranger - a woman who knows what becomes of Janna's lost nights... who knows what Janna dreams... and who knows that from now on, Janna's every waking hour will be a nightmare. 

How I got it:

At the bookstore.

When I got it:

Well the fact that it's out of print now means I got it way too long ago for it to still be in my TBR!

Why I want to read it:

First of all, that cover! Plus I was intrigued by the premise. 

Years after this book released, Costello wrote a duo of zombie books (Vacation and Home) that I absolutely loved. And so, Missing Monday came back on my radar (it's shelved in a weird spot, I'm working on that). Course now that it's out of print it's even harder to fit into the reading/review schedule (am I the only one with this issue?).

The Vampire Combat Field Guide by Roger Ma

Adult coloring books are a fad I don't think is going to go anywhere any time soon. And frankly I'm kind of glad because I really am enjoying them!

Today marks the release of just one more addition to the ever growing list of titles, but this one has a bit of a different twist. Rather than being good for stress relief or meditation, Roger Ma's The Vampire Combat Field Guide: A Coloring and Activity Book for Fighting the Bloodthirsty Undead is pretty much exactly what the title states. A very tongue-in-cheek coloring book, if you will. And a bit gory too.

Learn to identify the different kinds of vampires and their assault tactics, the best workouts to get you in shape for fighting them, what weapons to use against them, and various combat techniques too.

The coloring book, featuring illustrations by Kurt Miller, is an accompaniment to Ma's 2012 release, The Vampire Combat Manual. (Ma also wrote The Zombie Combat Manual and accompanying Zombie Combat Field Guide coloring book that hit shelves earlier this year.)

The Vampire Combat Field Guide is a fun and funny addition to any (adult) coloring book collection, so color along and learn the skills you need to protect yourself against the vampire swarm.