What She Knew by Gilly MacMillan
Rachel Jenner is walking in a Bristol park with her eight-year-old son, Ben, when he asks if he can run ahead. It’s an ordinary request on an ordinary Sunday afternoon, and Rachel has no reason to worry – until Ben vanishes.
Police are called, search parties go out, and Rachel, already insecure after her recent divorce, feels herself coming undone. As hours and then days pass without a sign of Ben, everyone who knew him is called into question, from Rachel’s newly married ex-husband to her mother-of-the-year sister. Inevitably, media attention focuses on Rachel too, and the public’s attitude toward her begins to shift from sympathy to suspicion.
As she desperately pieces together the threadbare clues, Rachel realizes that nothing is quite as she imagined it to be, not even her own judgment. And the greatest dangers may lie not in the anonymous strangers of every parent’s nightmares, but behind the familiar smiles of those she trusts the most.
Where is Ben? The clock is ticking…
Reviews
Overall, I enjoyed reading What She Knew. It was a suspenseful, page-turning mystery about a mother searching for her eight year old son, Benedict Finch, after he disappears during a walk in the woods. The story is told by his mother, Rachel Jenner and the torment she endures trying to find him but it also uses multiple character perspectives as well as news articles, and social media. I thought the presence of social media throughout the story made it more relatable as it is how society in 2017 engage with the current events happening daily. It is a reminder of how easily information can not only be spread, but distorted from the truth. This is contrasted with the perspectives from Detective Jim Clemo and Rachel and allowed the reader to gain insight on their true feelings as the story unfolded. – Review by Samantha
Gripping story that has you reading from chapter to chapter alternating from 2 different people’s points of view, Rachel the mother who’s son goes missing and the detective in charge of the case plus comments on a vicious blog. There are many potential suspects including the mother that may have motive so you want to keep reading to find out what happened to the young boy. There’s also a secret that Rachel finds out about her past that leaves her wondering who she really is. Although I enjoyed reading the story, there were a few questions at the end that I wished had been answered. – Review by Janice
I found this book to be a pretty good read. The author keeps you guessing throughout the book as to who may be the guilty person. The character development is good and while the subject matter is terrifying, overall I found it an interesting read. I would recommend this book. – Review by Shelley
This book was a real page-turner. I couldn’t stop reading until I found out who had taken the young boy and if he was ok. There were some twists and turns that had me guessing throughout. Overall I enjoyed the book and the journey it took me on. – Review by Kelly
I loved this book! The way it was written is very easy to understand, with just enough description to help you see through the eyes of the characters and relate to them, yet not too much that it gets ‘wordy’. Gilly MacMillan catches the reader’s attention by letting you see from more than one perspective including the mother, father, private investigator dealing with the case, etc. and that way you really get a very rounded perception of the whole story. This is a drama about a missing child, which is a very intense and emotional situation and strikes you as very real and close to the heart, you can really feel what the mother and other characters went through from start to finish and all the thoughts/emotional upheavals, and processes that were experienced. I found the book very hard to put down, and definitely recommend this one! – Review by Angela
Book of the Month
Every month we will be featuring a new book to be showcased in our Book of the Month. Staff members and friends will be reading the book and posting their reviews. We’d love to hear what you thought of these books as well. Post your comments and let us know.
What She Knew is available at London Drugs along with many other great titles and is on sale for the month of March.
