Synopsis:
When Kat Jenkins awakens to the police on her doorstep, her greatest fear is realized. Her nine-year-old son, Ethan, is missing. He has vanished from the cabin in which he’d been staying while on an overnight field trip with his class. Shocked and distraught, Kat rushes to the campground where he was last seen. But she’s too late — the authorities have returned from their search after losing Ethan’s trail in the mountain forest.
Another mother from Ethan’s school, Stef Huntington, appears to have it all: money, prominence in the community, a popular son, and a loving husband. She hardly knows Kat except for the vicious gossip she’s heard swirling about Kat’s traumatic past. But as the police investigation unfolds, Ethan’s disappearance will have earth-shattering consequences in Stef’s own life . . . and the paths of the two mothers are about to cross in ways no one could have foreseen.
Racing against the clock, their desperate search for answers begins. But the greatest danger could be lurking behind the everyday smiles of those they trust the most.
Review:
Kimberly Belle is the author of The Ones We Trust, The Marriage Lie, and Dear Wife.
Her latest thriller, Three Days Missing, finds Kat Jenkins is in the midst of a messy divorce her abusive, wealthy husband, Andrew. The proceedings include a restraining order. She has managed to keep her nine-year-old son, Ethan, enrolled at Cambridge, the prestigious private school where he has had difficulty forming friendships, largely because of his extraordinary intellect and photographic memory. And after he begged to be allowed to go, she permitted him to participate in an overnight school trip to an old gold rush town, complete with two hundred foot mines. Secure with the new backpack he longed for and her father’s old compass, Ethan sets off with his classmates.
Ethan bears a striking physical resemblance to his classmate, Sammy. But that’s where the similarities end. Sammy is an indulged bully, the pampered son of Stef and Sam Huntington, the mayor of Atlanta. Rich, privileged, and influential, Stef is a beautiful woman who appears to lead an idyllic life. But appearances are, of course, deceiving.
In the middle of the night, Kat is awakened by police on her doorstep telling her that Ethan disappeared from the cabin in which he was staying with the other children. Kat immediately rushes to the campsite, joined by her best friend, Lucas Tanner, who is her “brother in every way but blood.” Lucas is also a former Marine trained in search and rescue.
When Ethan goes missing, Kat and Stef are mere acquaintances. But soon they find their lives intersecting in ways neither of them could ever have imagined. As the frantic hours tick by and Ethan remains missing, Belle reveals clues to his disappearance and details about the Huntington’s lives at tautly-timed intervals.
From its opening pages, Three Days Missing is a tense, meticulously-crafted thriller. A vulnerable little boy’s welfare is at the heart of the drama. Kat is a wholly believable mother in crisis — Ethan is her whole life, and she is strong, fierce, and determined to bring him home safely. Stef, who appears to be a proverbial “trophy wife,” is an intriguing character whose strength and resilience is gradually revealed as the search drags on. She grows increasingly suspicious about Sam’s political ties and, more particularly, the activities of Josh, his cousin and chief of staff.
The two mothers become unlikely allies as the search for Ethan intensifies with each passing minute. Sammy plays an integral part in solving the mystery. He is one of Belle’s supporting cast of colorful characters, including Stef’s psychic mother, who add interest and keep the tale entertaining. Belle expertly accelerates the pace of the story as the characters hone in on the truth. And delivers a jaw-dropping conclusion that readers won’t see coming.
Once again, Belle has penned an un-put-downable thriller that will keep readers guessing right up to the shocking end.
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