From the bestselling author of If You Knew Her comes this harrowing tale of suspense—a story ripped from today’s headlines—of a tight-knit English community, who’s rocked by the murder of a mother and the mysterious disappearance of her daughter, and the secrets that lie concealed beneath a carefully constructed facade.A small town’s beloved family.A shocking, senseless crime—and the dark secret … family.
A shocking, senseless crime—and the dark secret at the heart of it all.
Everyone in Ashford, Cornwall, knows Meg Nichols and her daughter, Grace. Meg has been selflessly caring for Grace for years, and Grace—smiling and optimistic in spite of her many illnesses—adores her mother. So when Meg is found brutally bludgeoned in her bed and her daughter missing, the community is rocked. Meg had lived in terror of her abusive, unstable ex, convinced that he would return to try and kidnap Grace…as he had once before. Now it appears her fear was justified.
Jon Katrin, a local journalist, knows he should avoid getting drawn back into this story. The article he wrote about Meg and Grace caused rifts within his marriage and the town. Perhaps if he can help find Grace, he can atone for previous lapses in judgment. The Nichols’ neighbor, Cara—contending with her own guilt over not being a better friend to Grace—becomes an unexpected ally. But in searching for Grace, Jon and Cara uncover anomalies that lead to more and more questions.
Through multiple viewpoints and diary entries, the truth about Grace emerges, revealing a tragedy more twisted than anyone could have ever imagined…
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I really enjoyed Grace Is Gone, and will try to keep spoilers to a minimum. Meg Nichols is known and loved by her town in Cornwall, selflessly caring for her wheelchair bound daughter Grace. Imagine the town’s shock and horror as Cara Dorman, her next door neighbor, finds Meg brutally murdered and Grace missing. Cara teams up with disgraced reporter Jon Katrin, who years earlier wrote an article casting Meg in a negative light, and for which he is ostracized and shunned by the town. As Cara and John embark on a search for Grace, and the murderer, they discover that nothing is what it seems. Definitely held my interest, and while I did guess many of the book’s twists, others surprised me. Well done. Recommend this book.
I absolutely loved this book and I went into it only reading the synopsis, not anything else and for that, I am so glad. I think this is one of those books where the less you know about it, the better. And for that every reason, my review is going to be a bit vague.
It wasn’t until about halfway through that I realized where this book was going, or at least had an idea, and once I did, I knew exactly what was going on and believe it or not, was even more excited about the book. And it totally did go there and wow…what a story! It had captured my interest from the beginning, but midway, just hooked me even more.
I loved the way the story was told, alternating between Cara’s point of view, the neighbor of Meg and Grace, and Jon’s point of view, a local journalist. There are also diary entries from Grace interspersed throughout that are quite eye-opening. Having the story told this way allows it to unfold layer by layer and the impact is quite powerful.
Do yourself a favor and don’t read too much about this book before picking it up…you’ll thank me later. But do pick it up…it’s a fantastic read and it you are as obsessed with this subject as I am, you will definitely love this book. This is the first time I’ve read anything by Emily Elgar but it won’t be the last.
/ 5
Grace Is Gone by Emily Elgar is inspired by a true story that I immediately recognized (I will try not to give it away in my review), and I really enjoyed Elgar’s take on it right down to the last crazy chapter.
I loved Elgar’s writing style, and I thought Grace Is Gone flowed really well. At times it was downright chilling, and towards the end I actually started to HAVE chills down my back. Even though I know the story it was based on well, I wasn’t expecting some things that happened in this book. I am so glad the author changed it enough that it made the book both even creepier and more interesting, and not like I was reading an exact replica of the story it is based on.
This was my first read by Elgar and I know I am going to want to read everything she writes now. Grace Is Gone is only her second novel, but from the way it reads it could have been her 10th. I loved the way the story of Grace is brought to life, and I really enjoyed the 2 viewpoints plus diary entries. As more and more start to be revealed it kept up the suspense for me, and I liked getting to know the different characters.
Song/s the book brought to mind: Eyes on Me by Desi Valentine
Final Thought: I found myself not wanting to put Grace Is Gone down, and I would consider it quite the page turner. I think a lot of people will be able to read this in one sitting, and I definitely would have if I’d had the time. This book touches on mental disorders in a way that at times almost had me tearing up, and I think this is an excellently written novel that deserves to be read.