REVIEW: The Girl in the Photo by Sam Carrington

The Girl in the Photo by Sam Carrington

Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense

Read: 31st July 2023

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Published: 20th July 2023

★★★★ 3.5 stars (rounded up)

DESCRIPTION:

Her child is missing. And she’d do anything to find her…

Every Friday Mercy Hamilton goes to the same supermarket. She doesn’t go to buy groceries, instead, she shows a fading photo of a little girl to anyone who’ll look – begging for help to find her daughter.

One Friday, Erica Fielding comes across Mercy, and touched by her story, Erica agrees to help.

As Erica is drawn deeper and deeper into Mercy’s life, she discovers there is no record of Mercy’s daughter. In fact, there’s no record of a child at all.

But who is the girl in the photo if not Mercy’s missing daughter? And what danger will Erica find herself in by pursuing the truth?

The pulse pounding psychological thriller that will leave you totally breathless. Perfect for fans of Gone Girl, Lisa Jewell and Shari Lapena.

MY THOUGHTS:

You think you know who she is…You’re wrong…

I really don't know where to start. This is essentially such a sad sad story. It is heartbreaking in more ways than one. It is about the loss of a child, mental illnes, IVF sand yet so much more. There is not a lot I can say without giving anything away so I will just keep it brief.

Erica is lonely married woman struggling to conceive and in her marriage. She journals on Instagram sharing her struggles where she is an inspiration to many. Whilst at home, her marriage crumbles. She has rehearsed over and over what to say to her husband Jamie to end their marriage and yet she can't bring herself to say the words. And every evening he returns home from his work as a forensic psychologist working with prisoners as grumpy as ever. It's clear things are taking a toll on their marriage.

Every Friday, Mercy Hamilton goes to the same supermarket. But she doesn't buy groceries. Instead she shows a fading photograph of a little girl to anyone will look begging for help to find her daughter. She has become a nuisance to staff and shoppers alike but one Friday Erica is there and is aghast that no one will take her seriously. Touched by Mercy's story, Erica agrees to do all she can to help. But not all is at it seems.

The police are aware of Mercy. But there's never been a record of a missing child matching the description of the girl in the photo. In fact, there's no record of the child at all. Everyone believes Mercy to be suffering from some kind of delusional disorder. So what exactly can Erica do? The closer the two women get, the closer Erica comes to uncovering the disturbing truth.

The story was an incredibly slow burn and took some time to build. A little too slow for my liking but I stuck it out and was rewarded. There is so much to this story that I can't even begin to reiterate without inadvertently letting something slip. I really didn't see the twist coming but when it did I was like wow...but saddened at the same time.

Overall, an enjoyable psychological thriller that was a little too slow to start but came together nicely. A compelling tale.

I would like to thank #SamCarrington, #Netgalley and #AvonBooks for an ARC of #TheGirlInThePhoto in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Sam Carrington lives in Devon with her husband and three children. She worked for the NHS for 15 years, during which time she qualified as a nurse. Following the completion of a Psychology degree she went to work for the prison service as an Offending Behaviour Programme Facilitator. Her experiences within this field inspired her writing. She left the service to spend time with her family and to follow her dream of being a novelist. 

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