Some secrets are too big to bury… Investigative journalist Emma Hunter never thought she’d be a bestselling author. Especially not for a blistering exposé of the brutal horrors committed at a children’s home. Some secrets breed in the dark… All she wants is to return home to the anchoring salt air and solitude of Weymouth where questions still fester unanswered and a … questions still fester unanswered and a twenty-year-old secret binds her to the beach.
And some of them always escape…
But then she finds herself sucked into the chaos of another cold case and soon realises the search for the missing girl will not only unearth the rot ravaging the safety of children across the south of England, but could even solve the mystery that has tortured her since she was seven years old…
Ransomed marks the beginning of a nerve-shredding new crime series of feral reckonings and found family in the face of harrowing inhumanity, perfect for fans of Angela Marsons and Ann Cleeves.
more
I may have just found a new favourite author to stalk – I mean follow! M A Hunter kicks off this new series with a humdinger of a crime thriller and I’m sure there can only be more great stories ahead.
Emma Hunter has been thrust into the limelight after exposing a paedophile ring working out of an orphanage. As an investigative journalist, she had to earn the trust of the victims in order to bring the perpetrators to justice. Now, her book is a best-seller and everyone knows her name. Including Lord Fitzhume whose granddaughter was abducted a year ago. The case has gone cold, but the grandfather is convinced she (Cassie) is still alive.
Emma is reluctant to get involved. She’d rather retreat to Weymouth and pursue her own case – which is that of her sister who has been missing for over twenty years – but her agent insists that Fitzhume’s case carries greater weight with the publishers, who, after all, will be paying her a substantial amount for her next book. And so it is that she finds herself teaming up with PC Jack Serrovitz, ready to embark on another investigation. However, the more she digs into the case, the more she realises that something went badly wrong. Is Cassie still alive, and more to the point, will they find her?
Emma is a likeable character and very dedicated to the investigation. The story behinds Cassie’s abduction throws up lots of twists and turns, however the ending is not all tied up neatly. Granted, this is the first in a series, and so I expect the next story to pick up where this one ends. It just means I’ll have to wait a bit longer … but I’m fine with that. Good stories are worth waiting for.
A compulsive page-turner (or screen-swiper) with plenty of promise for an outstanding series.
I loved this book! I only wish the next book was available because it sure leaves you hanging at the end. Emma Hunter is new to being a celebrity – she wrote a bestselling book about an investigation into terrible abuse that occurred at a boys home in the past. Because of her fame, she’s been sought at by a wealthy Englishman whose granddaughter Cassie was kidnapped a year ago. He’s determined that Emma is the one person who can figure out what happened to Cassie. At first she doesn’t want to take the case, but because she herself had a family member disappear twenty years ago, she doesn’t have the heart to say no. She’s paired up with a police constable and given all of the files for Cassie’s case to review. They revisit the scene of the crime and meet with the family and witnesses from the day she was taken. The more involved she becomes, the more Emma is determined to find out the truth. But will this already fragile family be able to live with what they learn?
I was drawn in right away to this story, the writing flows easily and Emma is a relatable heroine. I’m glad it will be a series, and I hope the next book and more will be available soon while this first one is fresh in my mind. There were some questions I was left with, and I expect they will be resolved further in the series. I love finding a new author I truly enjoy and this one is a keeper!
Investigative journalist Emma Hunter has spent the last three years working on a story about the abuse of children in a group home. Now the book is out and the guilty parties are finally brought to justice, she’s ready to turn her attention to the story she really wants to write, that of her sister, Anna, who went missing twenty years earlier. Approached by a wealthy old man and asked to look into the case of his kidnapped granddaughter, Emma is slowly drawn in and agrees to investigate.
There are some heart-wrenching scenes here, and some tough topics addressed. Emma is far from being any sort of intrepid heroine; she’s quiet and frumpy, a cardigan-wearing type with a bad habit of sucking on her sleeve when she gets nervous, but she’s also clever and immensely kind, and people seem to trust and open up to her instinctively.
I didn’t see the resolution coming, nor the twist in the case of Emma’s missing sister which is a thread that’s obviously going to be picked up in the next book in this series. I feel like the police officer assigned to assist Emma is going to play a bigger role, maybe as a love interest. This is a really great start to a series, with the major case in it wrapped up pretty neatly but all these other intriguing threads leaving the reader keen to learn more. I’d definitely have picked up the second book immediately if it was available when I read this one!
Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this title via NetGalley.
This Book is dedicated to all the key workers who kept the world ticking during the lockdown 2020. A very nice thought, I say.
After Investigative journalist, Emma Hunter takes down a pedophile ring that operated from an orphanage she’s approached by Templeton, lord Fitzhume. His granddaughter was abducted a year ago. Despite paying 2 million £, the little girl was not returned. The police think she died in an explosion and they don’t search for her anymore. Emma is his last hope. Initially, she wants to refuse but her own sister also disappeared 20 years ago and reluctantly she accepts to find out the truth about the kidnapping. Everybody in the family has secrets that they don’t want exposing and could it have been an inside job? All the players in this drama point the fingers at each other.
The impact of the loss of their (grand) daughter has left very deep wounds that haven’t healed in the key players. They’re all struggling with their loss and grief, unable to move on. The characters and effects are painted with a lot of empathy and understanding. The author has created such a realistic set of actors that you can picture them in front of you.
There’s a conversation between Emma and Freddy, early on in the book that brought up such strong emotions that I was almost in tears. There are some beautiful people in this book.
Emma, the protagonist is a very likeable and sympathetic character. She’s struggling with her newfound fame and doesn’t like it much that she’s suddenly recognised by other people. She’s very down to earth and much prefers to stay in boring old, sandy Weymouth than the hustle and bustle of the bright lights of London.
The trope of the main character who’s her/himself the relative of someone who’s disappeared is becoming a bit overused in my opinion. Over the last 3 months, I’ve read at least 5 books with this theme. Although, in this series, it is an essential aspect of the back story. The whole series is already planned and they show the covers at the end of this book. I think that in every book we’ll get 1 or 2 clues as to what has really happened to Emma’s sister and in the last one we’ll find out the whole story.
This writer has his heart and mind in the right place. You can notice this when he mentions the lack of respect for health care workers who deserve fame and fortune far more than journalists, models or reality stars. He’s also very serene when he paints the relation between Emma and her mother who suffers from dementia.
I don’t know the identity of the author, apart from ‘Stephen’, but the alias he uses relates 100% with the main character’s name. Good pun!
I do not like the cover of this book, though. I think it looks cheap and a bit tacky. That’s a real shame because a lot of people do judge a book by its cover. I urge everyone not to do this here. But who am I, maybe you might like it. It’s well worth reading though, this is a beautifully told story about loss, grief, despair and hope. And don’t forget that it is also a suspenseful crime mystery and police procedural; as the journalist is assisted by Jack Serrovitz, a former police detective that works cold cases now as mere PC to spend enough time with his daughter. He’s also a great guy and I feel some romance in the making.
The constant change between now and then can be misleading if you don’t pay attention. I was caught out for more than a page before I looked at the header. They’re also not in chronological order, so keep your attention at all times.
Be warned that the story still dishes out an unexpected uppercut, just when you think that all is resolved. I eagerly await the next volume in this series.
I thank One More Chapter and Netgalley for the free ARC they provided me with and this is my honest unbiased opinion of it.