Book Review - The Lost Child by Ann Troup - Rachel Reads Randomly Book #25

Amazon UK

Title: The Lost Child

Author: Ann Troup

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Purchased

Publisher: Carina

Publication Date: 19th May 2015

Rating:  4 Stars

Mandy Miller disappeared from Hallow’s End when she was just 3 years old. She was never found.

Thirty years on, Elaine Ellis is carrying her mother’s ashes back to Hallow’s End to scatter them in the place that she once called home. Elaine has never been there, but it’s the only place Jean talked about while she was growing up – so it seems as good a place as any.

As Elaine settles into her holiday cottage in the peaceful Devonshire village, she gets to know the locals; family she never knew she had, eccentric and old-fashioned gentry, and new friends where she would least expect them. But she is intrigued by the tale of the missing girl that the village still carries at its heart, and which somehow continues to overshadow them all. Little does she know how much more involved in the mystery she will become…

It feels a bit odd, I worked out what the main mystery was within the first 10% of the book, or at least I had a very strong feeling. I then had to stop as my lunch break was over, and when I came back to the book that evening, despite reading on purely to see that my hunch was correct, and then seeing what other twists and turns the story may take, I did read the rest of the book in one sitting in a little over 3 hours. 

The fact that I did that while not being sure how much I was enjoying, or even bothered by the story, and not allowing myself to be distracted by social media, leads me to realise that the book was incredibly well written, and kept my gripped throughout even though I really didn't think I was. 

I just didn't really connect with the characters on any level, although it was Brodie's story I was most interested in, as a troubled teen, who comes from a truly horrific family. Her siblings as you will discover during the story are messed up, and her mother is not any better. The explanation for it all was that Brodie's sister Mandy went missing aged 3 years old, in Hallow's End, and now thirty years later, Brodie is in Hallow's End herself. 

There are some rather eccentric characters in Hallow's End, including an old man who is a bit of a hoarder, and also Derry who really is a loveable giant, even if noone seems to understand him at all.  The descriptions of Hallow's End are evocative and do make you feel as though you were there. 

The Lost Child is a well written book, that clearly had me reading on, but I didn't really find it that mysterious, it didn't overly shock me at all, and despite being hooked, I just felt slightly numb reading it. 

Thank you everyone for voting for The Lost Child, it didn't really surprise me that much that it won, as I know Ann Troup is popular. I think the main thing that had put me off reading this before hand was the cover, as it just feels a bit too eerie for my liking, and although having now read the book I understand the image a lot better, I am glad though that I have finally read the book, and I really look forward to seeing what wins this week's vote. 

Extract of The Silent Girls by Ann Troup - Blog Tour

What if everything you knew was a lie…

This house has a past that won’t stay hidden, and it is time for the dead to speak.

Returning to Number 17, Coronation Square, Edie is shocked to find the place she remembers from childhood reeks of mould and decay. After her aunt Dolly’s death Edie must clear out the home on a street known for five vicious murders many years ago, but under the dirt and grime of years of neglect lurk dangerous truths.

For in this dark house there is misery, sin and dark secrets that can no longer stay hidden. The truth must come out.

Finding herself dragged back into the horrific murders of the past, Edie must find out what really happened all those years ago. But as Edie uncovers the history of the family she had all but forgotten, she begins to wonder if sometimes it isn’t best to leave them buried.

An unforgettable and addictive story, perfect for fans of Lesley Thomson, Diane Chamberlain and Tracy Buchanan.

Amazon UK | Goodreads

Here is an extract from The Silent Girls

Across the square, in a third floor window, a curtain twitched and someone watched as Edie and Sam left the house and made their way along the street to the pub on the corner. When they were out of sight he let the curtain go and turned to face the room. He called the place his office, but in reality it was a museum stuffed to the gills with a chaotically un-collated mess of detritus. What other people called rubbish, he deemed important artefacts of social history. Where other people saw junk, he saw evidence. One such item was now sitting on his cluttered desk forming a puddle of colour amidst the piles of buff folders and grey document boxes. He would like to think that the scarf was final proof, the one piece of evidence that he needed, but long and bitter experience told him that it wasn’t enough. Nothing ever seemed to be enough. 

He looked at the fabric, at the swirling colours and the distinctive pattern and compared it to the photograph above the desk. The photograph was old, the paper yellowed and the ancient ink formed an indistinct, grainy image. Jean Lockwood had owned a scarf like this; she was wearing it in the photograph. There could be no colour match, the picture was in black and white, but the pattern was familiar, it had the same hypnotic print as the scarf on his desk. As evidence it might not be enough on its own, but it was an addition to the body of proof. Every little helped the cause.

He moved back to the window and looked across the square to Number 17. If his hunch were correct, there would be a lot more coming out of that house soon.

‘Not long now,’ he said aloud to the pictures of the dead women who lined his wall. As he turned away from them, a quietly confident smile lifted the corners of his mouth.


About Ann Troup: 
Ann Troup tells tales and can always make something out of nothing (which means she writes books and can create unique things from stuff other people might not glance twice at). She was once awarded 11 out of 10 for a piece of poetry at school – she now holds that teacher entirely responsible for her inclination to write.

Her writing space is known as ‘the empty nest’, having formerly been her daughters bedroom. She shares this space with ten tons of junk and an elderly Westie, named Rooney, who is her constant companion whether she likes it or not. He likes to contribute to the creative process by going to sleep on top of her paperwork and running away with crucial post-it notes, which have inadvertently become stuck to his fur. She is thinking of renaming him Gremlin.

She lives by the sea in Devon with her husband and said dog. Two children have been known to remember the place that they call home, but mainly when they are in need of a decent roast dinner, it’s Christmas or when only Mum will do. She also has extremely decent stepchildren.

In a former incarnation she was psychiatric nurse, an experience which frequently informs her writing. She has also owned a cafe and an art/craft gallery. Now she only makes bacon sandwiches as a sideline, but does continue to dabble with clay, paint, paper, textiles, glue…you name it. 

Occasionally she may decide to give away some of these creations (you have been warned!).

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/TroupAnn
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anntroupauthor/

Website: https://anntroup.wordpress.com/

Hopefully that has interested you enough to take a closer look at The Silent Girls. It has been a pleasure to take part in this blog tour.