No.1 EBOOK BESTSELLER. A SUNDAY TIMES TOP 10 PAPERBACK BESTSELLER. A USA TODAY PAPERBACK BESTSELLER. The real nightmare starts when her daughter is returned… A bone-chilling psychological thriller that will suit fans of Gone Girl, The Couple Next Door and The Girl on the Train. A girl is missing. Five years old, taken from outside her school. She has vanished, traceless. The police are at a … traceless.
The police are at a loss; her parents are beyond grief. Their daughter is lost forever, perhaps dead, perhaps enslaved.
But the biggest mystery is yet to come: one week after she was abducted, their daughter is returned.
She has no memory of where she has been. And this, for her mother, is just the beginning of the nightmare.
more
This book kept me on the edge of my seat all of the way through. You want to scream and tell the characters that they are wrong, to look closer at the facts! Such a good book.
book
I love horror and thrillers. Something about zombies and midnight murders really pull me into stories. But nothing gets to me quite like books with realistic bases. Nothing’s scarier to me than what people can to do to each other. I recently read After Anna by Alex Lake and I have a lot to say.
Julia’s life isn’t perfect. She and her husband are separating, her mother-in-law hates her, and her meetings at work often run late. The one shining spot is her five year old daughter Anna. But one day, another meeting runs late and she doesn’t get to the school in time to pick Anna up. When she arrives, the school is empty and Anna is gone.
A week later, Anna returns. Julia thinks the nightmare is over, but maybe it’s only just begun.
What follows is the harrowing reality for Julia that she has become part of an international news story, the kind she used to read with her morning coffee and think, that would never happen to me. I wouldn’t be so negligent. I wouldn’t make the same mistake as those parents. I would find my daughter.
I have a five year old daughter, so this book hit particularly close to home for me. It mirrored some of my own fears about raising a child in a world so large, it’s scarily easy to disappear. The author did a fantastic job of bringing those feelings to the page in an uncomfortable, winding way that made my skin crawl.
Another element that was particularly jarring was the glimpses into the kidnapper. They had a plan, they were too smart for police, they would never get caught. They were so sure that everything would go just as they hoped, failure was not an option. This little peeks into their thoughts were just enough to drive home how deranged this person was, and how meticulous they were.
Overall, I really enjoyed the chilling tale, even if it had predictable moments. They really caught the terror one small mistake can ultimately bring.
I am in love with all of Alex Lake’s books!! Every book is incredible!
A little too predictable.
A bit slow to start, but the ending was great, and totally unexpected! Worth reading.
Wow, all I can say is WOW! Great book! Can not stop reading Alex Lake!
Very quick and CC easy book to read. The story is about a couple, Julia and Brian Crowne, and their 5 year old daughter, Anna.
Julia has recently informed Brian that she no longer wishes to be married to him. A well later, Julia is later to pick up her daughter at school, and when she arrives, she discovers that Anna is missing.
The newspapers and social media start saying that Julia is an unfit mother. Brian and his mother, Edna, are angry with Julia for not being there for Anna.
The story moves along, but it was blatantly obvious to me who kidnapped this young girl. I also knew the motive behind the kidnapping before it was revealed.
Again, this book was a quick and easy read- but nothing earth shattering,
#AfterAnna #AlexLake
Moves much too slowly for me
This story brought back some personal memories I have of my first mother-in-law. While my case wasn’t pleasant, it was nothing like what Julia had. It just goes to show how evil can hide behind the facade of a seemingly normal person. I have no doubt that some innocent people have experienced horrors from family members that are hard for people with the untrained eye to detect. I had read this story before but reread it to refresh my memory. I gave it five stars because it was so compelling and destructive. It was well written with few mistakes.
A terrifying story for any mother. The loss of a child would be frightening but to be blamed for it would be horrible. An exciting wonderful story.
Loved this book! So scary what happened to the mother of the child. Could not put it down. Unpredictable end.
Loved this book but very thought provoking
Somewhat predictable but some unusual twists and turns.
I really enjoyed this book. I had a hard time putting it down. I couldn’t wait to find out who dunit. Very good book I would recommend it highly.
The story is interesting, but I guessed the twist much too early. The main character is supposed to be a sympathetic figure, but isn’t very nice at times. The best part of the book was the last third. This was a book that I don’t regret reading but also one I’m glad I got on sale.
Wow, who saw that coming? Very good psychological thriller. Newest fan of Alex Lake here!
I wouldn’t recommend this to any of my friends, It has an intriguing premise but I just couldn’t get into it. The characters were one-dimensional so the whole story seemed unreal.
I enjoyed this book because even though you could guess what was going to happen, there were still surprises in the book. I would definitely read more books by this author.
Loved this book, except I guessed who did it halfway through! The author really made me feel the mother’s angst and finally, her desperation. Definitely a good read!