Review: My Lost Sister by Eleonor Samuel

                                                                 

Print Length: 461 pages

Publisher: Joffe Books (August 27, 2024) 

From Goodreads.com:  Twenty years ago someone stole my sister.

They say Leonie got into a man’s car. She was never seen again. It was the day before her fifteenth birthday.

But what if she was never taken? What if the truth is right here, all along, in the house where we grew up. The house I’ve come back to, trying to piece the past together.

A notification flashes on my phone. Photos on social media. I stare, chilled, at old pictures of my childhood home. Our front door, the gardens outside the window where I sit now. They’re #leonieshouse.

A shiver of unease runs down my spine.

Who knows?

What do they know?

I keep saying that I don’t remember.

But I do.

                                                         *******************

My Rating: 4 stars out of 5

This was one of the better mystery/thriller novels that I have read in a while. The characters were well-fleshed out, and the details were so well done that you could not only imagine the town itself, but you could also feel the paranoia Rosalie felt while being alone. I also enjoyed the way the author was able to weave together a story that blended past and present, but did it in such a way that the ending still came as a surprise. 

I think the biggest issue I had with this story is the lack of regard for personal safety where Rosalie was concerned. Not only did she head off to meet with people that were potential suspects, but when presented with obvious evidence of someone having been inside the house with her, threatening her and stalking her, Rosalie adamantly refuses to go to the police (at least until its too late and she's already deleted all of her social media accounts thereby also deleting all of the proof). 

One other thing I would change about this one is I would have liked to have seen more of the repercussions at the end of the story. I want to see the head-lines when the truth came out. I want to see Rosalie's parents' reactions to finally learning what happened to their daughter. And I really want to see the piece where an innocent man's name is finally cleared. I felt those would have been a nicer wrap-up than the somewhat confusing one we got (I mean I understood most of what happened, but I'm still unclear as to whether or not Rosalie and Kacper ended up together or if the plane he was watching had her on it). 

However, even without those thing, I still enjoyed this one quite a bit, and I definitely feel like other fans of the mystery/thriller will enjoy it as well. I would definitely read more from this author!

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.