REVIEW: Little Boy Found by L.K. Fox

Little Boy Found by L.K. Fox

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Read: 13th August 2018

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

★★★★★ 5 stars

LITTLE BOY FOUND is a slightly different take on the "missing child" story and a real page turner. I wasn't sure what to make of it at the beginning especially with the shift in stories and completely unrelated characters in the alternating chapters, but I was soon hooked by the end of the "third" chapter (Nick's second chapter). So what is it all about then?

First we meet Nick, who is married to Ben with a 6 year old son from Ben's first marriage. Nick adores Gabriel and despite his own souring relationship with Ben, Nick continues a much better relationship with Gabriel. When he wakes with hangover one morning, Nick rushes Gabriel off to school and is involved in a minor collision with another car. The driver refuses to stop or give his insurance details so Nick whips out his mobile phone and snaps a photo of the licence plate as it leaves the car park. Upon returning home, Nick endeavours to find the elusive driver and uploads the photo to his laptop for a better look of the plate. Upon enlarging the image on the screen he can't believe what he sees - his son Gabriel in the back of the car with his hand pressed up against the window. As he has just dropped him off, Nick rings the school to be told Gabriel's name is not on the register. He tries to tell Ben his concerns but Ben doesn't listen or believe him. What ensues is Nick's desperate search for answers and a whole chain of events that seem to unravel as Nick tries to make sense of what is going on.

Meanwhile in a seemingly unrelated story we meet Ella, a lonely teenager infatuated with a musician of a Z-grade band named Ryder and hopelessly dreams of a happily ever after with him. When Ella wins a backstage pass to meet the band, her dream rapidly becomes a nightmare as things take a dramatic turn with massive consequences. Feeling more alone and desperate than ever, longing for her mother and estranged from her father, Ella takes matters into her own hands setting in motion a course of events that once undertaken can never be undone.

So how does this relate to Nick and his quest for answers? While I couldn't see the significance at first, it didn't take long for me to work out just how Ella's story collides with Nick's - well, one part of it anyway. And it wasn't long before I suspected where Ben really fit in as well - something of a secret he hadn't told Nick about. What I didn't see coming was who Nick really was!

At first it seems Nick's story is far more interesting than Ella's obsession over a musician, but soon her's becomes moreso as Nick's unravels into a series of confusing events in his quest for answers. Despite this, both stories had me quickly turning the pages to find out more and watch with baited breath as both their worlds finally collide.

LITTLE BOY FOUND is an interesting concept that started off at an even gait with the end result being a fast-paced thrill ride that kept me reading long into the night until the very last page. The story is intense on both sides with some jaw dropping twists that made for a thrilling read. While the whole concept may be a little unrealistic, it's these stories that truly make for fascinating and thrilling reads beyond any doubt.

I have seen others comment on the Epilogue adding an unnecessary shock whilst the story could have satisfactorily wrapped up before that. This is true, but...I think the Epilogue was a solid touch to end the story. I didn't see it coming which made it even better but on the whole, given the events that lead to this point and the journey the characters took to get there, I think it was indeed a gratifying ending considering the circumstances. Without giving anything away, I believe anyone in that situation themselves would very probably feel it to be the only end appropriate.

LITTLE BOY FOUND is brilliantly written and I highly recommend it for any fan of the psychological thriller genre. It is dark, clever and unique to other thrillers but incredibly intriguing and well worth devouring.