A breathtaking thriller that will have you hooked from the first page

On the tenth anniversary of her daughter, Autumn, disappearance, Francine receives a note pushed through her letter box with the words, ‘I Know Where She Is’ wrote in childish handwriting.

She takes the note to her ex husband, Autumns dad Will, for his help, but he shuts her down, and tells her that it will be kids, and to leave him alone and that she needs professional help.

Then a strange young woman, Lena, appears stating that she wrote the note, and that Autumn, now called Melody, is being held in a big house in the woods with lots of other girls, and that she can’t get the police involved, as they already know about them.

With no one to turn to, an ex who thinks she’s nuts, and a determination to get her daughter back, Francine finds herself on her own, and has to make some tough choices if she is to get her daughter back, going to lengths she never thought she was capable of.

I Know Where she is, is a brilliantly executed thriller. The book opens straight into the action, there is no build up, and this works perfectly, getting you involved from the very beginning.

S.B. Caves took me in a direction I wasn’t expecting, and into a dark seedy criminal world, one that goes on behind closed doors, and hidden well from society.

Francine is a woman on the edge. She has lived with the pain, hurt, anguish, and guilt over her daughter’s disappearance for the past ten years. She has clung onto hope for so long, that when Lena turns up, she wants to disbelieve her, but knows deep down that what Lena is telling her is the truth.

Lena, is a very mixed up young woman, who came across much younger than she was. Even though she was a victim, I did find it hard to warm to her. I don’t know why, there was just something about her that bugged me.

The subject matter might not be something everyone will be comfortable will, but it was handled delicately, and although you knew what these young women were going through, it was never pushed in your face, or explicitly explained.

My only concern is how it ended. I was hoping for something more, but it ended quite abruptly. Though there was talk of the future, I’m not sure if there would be scope for a sequel.

If you are after a fast paced, dark, gritty thriller, that will hook you from the first page and have you eagerly rushing through it, then this book is perfect. It definitely won’t disappoint.

Reviewed on Whispering Stories Book Blog
*I received a free copy of this book, which I voluntarily reviewed

This book started strongly. I was intrigued from the opening pages and it certainly seemed to have a lot of potential.

I really liked Francine when we first met her and (frighteningly) could relate to her weird rules - when she could drink and eat junk and trade-offs in terms of exercise… there was a sense of her attempting to retain some semblance of control and normality when she really just barely hanging on.

However the plot became somewhat implausible for me when Francine decided to kidnap someone for information / leverage and then attempt to overpower a dozen armed men (most of whom were supposedly ex military types) to potentially rescue her daughter.

Things fell into place a little too smoothly and it was almost impossible to believe Francine could actually succeed against ridiculous odds.

I would also have enjoyed a little more closure. I know it’s implied that the baddies will be uncovered, but it’s a little vague (the release of information - and beginnings of the thread of secrets to the journalist). And finally I wasn’t sure if the final lines were meant to be an indication of there being a bigger secret. I know Autumn suggested that her mother wasn’t really to blame for her kidnapping but if the implication is that someone else was involved (and I can’t say more) then it was a little too subtle for me to pick up. And if that wasn’t the intention I didn’t get the point of the last lines.

I think this is a good debut but might have benefitted from a some changes to the second half of the novel (and its plot). In addition to a structural edit (look at plausibility) also noticed a few small editing issues - different spelling of names (Lesley / Leslie) for eg.

2.5 stars

This book will undoubtedly have a few triggers for some readers as well-being to far out of the comfort zone for others but that aside, It really is worth reading and I am really really hoping there will be a follow up book to this one!

I didn’t actually expect the story to go down this route so it was a bit of a surprise but I am glad I stuck with it. It started off a little slowly for mean the main protagonist wasn’t instantly likeable ( sorry Francine!) but by half way I was completely invested in her and her daughter Autumn.

For me it is Autumn that is the star of the show, a strong, brave, resilient young girl that you cant help but to feel for. Thankfully most of us will never have to experience even a fraction of what these two and the other girls have gone through and this book will have you counting your blessings for that whist checking to make sure your own kids are still tucked up safe and sound! (Or was that just me?)

It’s so hard to write this as I really don’t want to give you the whole storyline before you have had chance to read the book for yourselves but I think you will have a good idea from this that this is not just about kidnapped children.

I think that possibly if I had known before i started reading that i might not have chosen this book to read but i am really glad that i did which is why i urge you to try this book for yourselves and not be put off if you can. You wont regret it in my opinion and if like me, come the end you will be crossing your fingers that there will be a continuation of Autumns story!

For grieving mother Francine, life stopped 10 years ago. She cannot move on from the day her daughter, Autumn was kidnapped. Her ex-husband, Will, has remarried and they are expecting their own child. In his mind Autumn is dead.

One day Francine notices that an envelope has been pushed through her door. She finds it odd that she did not hear anyone posting it, so she collects it and looks out of her apartment for any signs/ The envelope is blank and the words “I know where she is” scrawled across the page inside.

She meets Will to show him the letter, but he is unimpressed. Some crank is his opinion. Then a very frighted young girl called Lena appears in her life. She says Francine's daughter is locked in a large house and is now called Melody.

Eventually, Lena starts to trust Francine and tells her some about their lives in the house. Abuse of girls is the main purpose of the kidnaps and children are born as a result. What a shocking thing to discover and it makes Francine even more determined to find Autumn.

They cannot go to the police as some are involved in the abuse, so after Lena dies, Francine sets off in pursuit of her daughter.

I will not divulge more but if you enjoy an exciting plot with lots of action this is the book for you. The characters are well described and believable.

I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are all my own and completely unbiased. My thanks to NetGalley for this opportunity.

I would like to tank the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. Wow! This was an intense read! I often pick books by title and cover, this book did great on both counts - I loved the lone figure in the dark woods. This is a story that covers the dark and difficult subject matter of pedophelia, abuse, rape, violence and alcohol abuse so if this bothers you be warned. I found the plot horrifically believable especially in light of what we are hearing about previously loved icons like Jimmy Saville and Rolf Harris. It's the tale of a mothers never failing love for her child which will resonate with all mothers I am sure. I read it over two nights as I couldn't put it down! If I have any qualms about this book I felt the ending was rather rushed but there is an opening for a follow on novel which I will certainly read..... A very good first book - well done S B Caves!

It did hold my attention from the beginning, on.A mother's life put on hold when she discovers her daughter is missing
Nobody will believe her when she has an idea who is behind the kidnaapping, a very powerful celebrity, and so it goes.
It can be pretty gruesome at times, just saying.
I don't know, but it seemed like toward the end, the mother got really strong minded as well as physically. She wasn't the meek housewife she was in the beginning of the book. Missing her ex, and fantasizing about them getting back together, even though he's remarried. So to me, it seemed like she went through a quick transformation and,I just felt like it didn't mesh too well. Can't say anymore without giving the story away. I did enjoy this book though.

WOW! This is such an emotive book. I really couldn’t put it down & read it in one sitting.
On the 10th Anniversary of her daughter Autumn’s abduction, Francine receives an anonymous note saying “I KNOW WHERE SHE IS”
This sparks a catalogue of events that will leave you breathless, from meeting the young woman who wrote the note, to discovering the true fate of her daughter.
This is an absolutely brilliant story. Francine is an amazing lady & Autumn has the same determination & grit.
I urge EVERYONE to read this, although You will get a book hangover from it.

Francines daughter was abducted 10 years ago, since then her marriage has broken down and she has become a functioning alcoholic.
A note pushed through her letterbox saying 'I know where she is' starts off a chain of unimaginable events.
Francines ex-husband wants nothing to do with her unbelievable claims that their daughter is still alive, having channelled all his grief into writing books about the tragedy and making a fortune out of them, with a newly pregnant wife he Cruelly dismisses her pleas of help.
So starts a fast moving lone race to find her daughter, at break neck speed all manner of events occur, and herein I found a problem with this story, although well written everything was happening too fast to make it believable. I would of liked a lot more depth and explanation of the who, what and why's of how these harrowing events took place. Perhaps as another reviewer has suggested there could be a follow up , I'd certainly like to know a lot more about this evil operation.
My grateful thanks to net galley and publisher for opportunity to review this book honestly.

This book is immediately engaging. I am completely shocked by how compelling it is. I couldn't stop reading. This is not for the faint of heart. It is gritty and all too frighteningly possible. But, it is a Must-Read, IMHO. Just read it. You will thank me for it, I think.

As Always, I Wish Happy Reads to All from the Unapologetic Book Junkie ?!