It took me about a week to finish this book and definitely worth a 5-star rating. Mick Herron has firmly earned a spot among my favorite authors. Reading his work is like binge-watching a high-end thriller series: sharp, layered, and full of tension you can feel in your bones.
The story opens with a bang—literally. An explosion tears through a quiet neighborhood, just a few hundred yards from where Sarah Tucker is having dinner with friends. The house belongs to Maddie Singleton and her family. In the chaos, two people die—Maddie and her war-veteran husband, Thomas. Only their daughter, Dinah, survives. But here’s where things get strange - Thomas, presumed dead for four years!
Sarah isn’t just curious—she’s obsessed. It begins as a flicker of concern for this girl. Sarah's imagination runs wild, and at first, she seems almost reckless. But as more people get pulled into the story and the danger escalates, I found myself completely hooked by the character's instincts and grit.
Dinah’s disappearance received no media coverage. She then approached a private detective agency and met Joe Silvermann, who later died under suspicious circumstances. Sarah was the last person to see him, which put her under suspicion. The incident seemed like a warning, and it looked as though she was being framed. Joe’s wife, Zoe Boehm, also believed that too.
Zoe's brief cameo didn't distract me at all. Herron layers the plot with espionage, betrayal, and a creeping sense of national stakes far bigger than one missing girl. What makes this book exceptional is Sarah’s journey, which is full of unexpected consequences. This is smart, high-stakes storytelling and I can't recommend it enough.
