Synopsis
No body. No crime?
Twenty years ago, Mari vanished while backpacking through Thailand with her boyfriend, Luke. He was accused of murder, but has always insisted he’s innocent. Besides, her body was never found.
Now, he’s finally ready to talk. And filmmaker Cassidy Chambers wants to be the one to uncover what really happened, back then, in the dark of the jungle.
But as she delves deeper into the past, Cassidy begins to fear what lies ahead, and the secrets buried along the way.
My Review
Twenty years ago Luke and Mari went backpacking through Thailand but only Luke returned. No one knows what happened to Mari, her body was never found and Luke has always maintained his innocence. Can filmmaker Cassidy uncover the truth?
I would describe this book as a slow burn thriller and I haven’t read one like it in a while. The story was full of suspense and a number of twists and turns that were brilliant. The pace of the story started off slow but then part way through especially when the story moved to Thailand and as the momentum was building the story speeded up.
Cassidy is an accomplished filmmaker and I can see why she would be interested in finding out the truth behind what happened to Mari. It’s something that has remained a mystery, she would be the first person to delve into the case and if she cracked it it would get her noticed. Luke was always viewed with suspicion and Cassidy is surprised when he approaches her to tell his side of the story and look into what happened. There is another reason why Cassidy is interested in making this film and that is because of something that happened in her past when she was child that she is still traumatised by. As someone who went missing as a child Cassidy feels connected in a way to those that have gone missing and it prompts her to make films of this kind in the hope that she can bring closure to the families of the missing person.
I really liked the idea of the story being told while a film is being put together. Luke takes Cassidy back to his home town and back to the school where he met Mari. The location of the story then switches to Thailand and the reader is able to follow the journey that Luke and Mari took as backpackers, going to the places they visited and to the jungle where things went wrong. Towards the end of the story there were so many scenes that caught me off guard because there was one plot twist after another and I couldn’t believe what I was reading. Looking back on the story now there were some very clever clues that I hadn’t noticed or pieced together. But I won’t say anymore to avoid spoilers.
If you like thrillers then this is one to add to your list.
Author Bio
Emily Freud is the author of My Best Friend’s Secret and What She Left Behind.She has worked on Emmy and BAFTA award winning television series including Educating Yorkshire and First Dates. Emily lives in North London, with her husband and two children. She is currently working on her next novel.
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