Stolen by Tess Stimson
Genre: Domestic thriller, Psychological thriller, Suspense, Mystery
Read: 31st July 2021
Amazon
Published: 5th August 2021
DESCRIPTION:
You thought she was safe. You were wrong…
Alex knows her daughter would never wander off in a strange place. So when her three-year-old vanishes from an idyllic beach wedding, Alex immediately believes the worst.
The hunt for Lottie quickly becomes a world-wide search, but it’s not long before suspicion falls on her mother. Why wasn’t she watching Lottie?
Alex knows she’s not perfect, but she loves her child. And with all eyes on her, Alex fears they’ll never uncover the truth unless she takes matters into her own hands.
Who took Lottie Martini? And will she ever come home?
MY REVIEW:
There is nothing like a missing child thriller to get your heart pumping in the race to, not only find them, but uncover the truth behind their disappearance. But STOLEN is not your usual missing child trope. It goes beyond that and delves a little deeper to highlight the missives that accompany such a tragedy. Like media attention and how quickly it can turn from support to judgement...just as it did for the McCanns in the wake of Madeleine's disappearance and for Karen Matthews after it was discovered she had engineered her daughter's disappearance for money and publicity. The media is cruel, it is harsh and it has the power to sway public opinion in the blink of an eye.
But let's go back to the beginning...to where Alex's world came crashing down on a Florida beach. To where the story begins on a plane, thousands of feet in the air between London and their Floridian destination.
Human rights lawyer Alexa Martini is a career woman and that didn't change when discovered she was pregnant. Intending on a termination, she tells boyfriend Luca who immediately proposes and they wed before the imminent arrival of their baby daughter who came into the world kicking and screaming with a scowl on her face. Alex always said her daughter was born angry and willful...and not much has changed in the three years since then.
Charlotte Perpetua Martini - "daddy said I have to a Catholic name so mummy googled saints and picked the worst one she could find" - may look angelic with her halo of blonde ringlet curls but she is the most stubborn and willful child who doesn't actually come across as a three year old would. Bar her tantrums. Those are epic. Particularly the one on the plane that had everyone watching how her mother would handle it before dropping to the floor and playing dead, leaving onlookers to fear the worst. Until Alex gave her an ultimatum that had her recover quick smart. The terrible twos? I did not envy Alex the teenage years, that's for sure.
So Alex and Lottie are on their way from London to Florida for her best friend Marc's beachside wedding to the somewhat aloof Sian. Lottie was to be one of the four flower girls for the event and Alex feared her daughter's unpredictable behaviour may not last the duration, turning the happy event into something of a disaster. That is to say, she was not optimistic. However, Lottie surprised her by behaving not only for the rehearsal but also for the ceremony as she was preceded the gushing bride along the beachfront spreading rose petals in her wake. Alex was seated four rows behind her daughter and glimpsed her throughout as she kicked her chubby legs on the gilted chair in the sand. Alex suspected she had already discarded her ballet slippers as Lottie loathed shoes.
When the ceremony was over, the bridal party along with their gaggle of tiny bridesmaid flower girls preceded the rest of the guests from the beachfront and through the gates into the private function area in the courtyard reserved for the event. Alex caught glimpses of her daughter's halo of blonde curls already escaping her plait in her pink dress as she immediately made her way to the buffet. Alex had no doubt that Lottie would help herself to seconds and thirds throughout the evening as well as the ice cream that was also on offer. With one eye on the flashes of pink hovering near the buffet, Alex settled in to enjoy the evening with her friends secure in the knowledge that she could still see her daughter lingering in the crowd.
It was only later, after she returned from an impromptu assignation on the beach, that she realised Lottie was missing.
Frantic with worry, Alex scoured the venue asking the other guests if they had seen her daughter. Soon everyone has joined the search and police are called. And it was soon ascertained that the little girl Alex had thought was her daughter by the buffet was in fact another of the little bridesmaids and that Lottie had not been seen since the ceremony...four hours before. And it doesn't take long for the focus to turn on Alex.
Alex has not had an easy relationship with her truculent daughter, particularly since the death of her ex-husband Luca who doted on Lottie. Not maternal by nature, Alex was left to raise Lottie alone whilst juggling a busy and demanding career as a human rights lawyer and she never seemed to have enough time, patience or energy to deal with her difficult daughter. Is it any wonder that she never thought herself a good mother? And is it any wonder that in the wake of Lottie's disappearance that the focus of the police investigation turns to Alex, believing her to be responsible in some way?
But with Lottie's disappearance comes a rude awakening. Alex discovers a maternal love so strong for her daughter, that surprises even herself, that she will do whatever it takes to find her.
The hours turn into days then into weeks and before long it's been nearly two months since her daughter's disappearance and still no further leads. Grief stricken and lost, Alex returns to England without her daughter but fueled by a strong determination to continue her search for Lottie for as long as it takes.
STOLEN is not your usual missing child story. And Lottie is not the smiling poster child for missing children. She is not int he least bit angelic but is a strong willed, belligerent and overweight three year old who her mother knows would kick up a huge fuss screaming blue murder should a stranger try to snatch her. Luca always joked that if anyone kidnapped Lottie they would be in a hurry to bring her back, such was the truculent nature of their daughter. But someone did take Lottie...and they have not brought her back.
A compelling picture is painted of what it is like to be the parent of a missing child who may never be found. Alex's pain, anguish and guilt doesn't diminish over time to the point her mental health begins to suffer. While some mothers receive sympathy from the media, others don't and much like the McCanns Alex finds herself judged for being the less than perfect mother and her behaviour both past and present. She is criticised by the media as well as the public as her entire life is put on display and the search for Lottie becomes a political handball against race and class.
The story is told predominantly in the narratives Alex and Quinn, an investigative journalist initially sent to cover the disappearance who becomes Alex's greatest ally in her quest for the truth. There is also the inclusion of an anonymous narrative in the lead-up and in the wake of Lottie's disappearance and the question of their involvement. These narratives are cleverly woven together over the ensuing years in the search for Lottie. It makes for an emotional read as we sympathise with Alex and the lengths to which she goes as we too try to piece together what may have happened to Lottie.
And then...there's the ending. Whilst we had several red herrings thrown our way, the anti-climatic elements I found to be overly dramatic and really didn't tie in with the rest of the plot made for a somewhat disappointing conclusion. There was even an aspect I found to be in somewhat poor taste of what is essentially an ever-growing tragedy in many families today, that was thrown in as what? An excuse? I didn't see it coming because it was so off-kilter and terribly implausible that it was something of a slap in the face to what is essentially a distressing thing to happen to anyone.
However, overall, STOLEN is a well-written thoughtful tale that highlights the impact of missing children on the families and the difficulties in moving on when there is no real closure as to what actually happened to their children. STOLEN is more than just about the abduction of a child. It's about the devastation, the loss, the heartache, the families, the forgiveness, the strength and the resilience...the power of a mother's love and the strength to move on.
This is my third Tess Stimson with her previous two thrillers - "Picture of Innocence" (aka "The Mother" and "A Mother's Secret") and "One in Three" - 5 star reads that WOWed me to the core. STOLEN is a fast paced thrill ride in some aspects though it did dip a little along the way but I didn't find it quite as thrilling as her previous two. It is still an intriguing read that captures your attention but it didn't WOW me.
Still, I look forward to what Tess Stimson has in store for us next!
Perfect for fans of domestic thrillers with a twist.
I would like to thank #TessStimson, #Netgalley, #RachelsRandomResources and #AvonBooks for an ARC of #Stolen in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Since then, she's written more than a dozen novels, numerous short stories, and two non-fiction books, which have been published internationally and translated into more than twenty languages.
In recent years, Tess has moved away from writing women’s fiction and towards darker psychological thrillers, which seem to suit her personality better. As well as writing fiction she continues to work as a journalist, and also teach reporting for media and creative writing at a university in the North-Eastern US.
Tess live in Vermont with her husband, and am visited intermittently by her three grown-up children whenever they need their laundry done.
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