The Greenway by Jane Adams @JoffeBooks

Book Description:

AUGUST 1975: Cassie Maltham’s life changes forever one scorching day. She and her twelve-year-old cousin Suzie take a shortcut through the Greenway, an ancient pathway steeped in Norfolk legend. Somewhere along this path Suzie simply vanishes . . .

TWENTY YEARS LATER: Cassie is still tormented by nightmares, parts of her memory completely erased. With her husband Fergus and friends Anna and Simon, she returns to Norfolk, determined to confront her fears and solve a mystery that won’t let her rest.

Then another young girl goes missing at the entrance to the Greenway, and Cassie is pushed once more into the darkest recesses of her mind.

John Tynan, the retired detective who’d been in charge of Suzie’s case, is still haunted by her disappearance. He offers his help to Detective Inspector Mike Croft who is leading the increasingly frantic search for the missing child.

Has evil returned? And what really happened all those years ago and who can be believed?

Perfect for fans of Nualla Ellwood, Kl Slater, Gillian Flynn, and Lucy Clarke.

ONE OF THE MOST HAUNTING PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLERS YOU WILL READ THIS YEAR, FULL OF ASTONISHING TWISTS.

My Thoughts:

This is the first book in the DI Mike Croft crime series and was also the author’s debut novel.

The story has an almost supernatural feel to it with the legend of the Greenway. How can a child just disappear? Vanish with no trace and no leads? I felt for Cassie as she was the last person to see Suzie, the fact that another girl goes missing on her return in the same area, well my mind was going into overdrive as to who is behind the girls disappearances.

Mike is quite a gentle character for a detective inspector. He hasn’t been hardened to much by the job as he is still sensitive to the victims families as well as Cassie, although he also does get frustrated as her mental health is in question, which in turn causes him to take things more slower when he wants answers fast.

The story line has an almost haunting, melancholy feel to it. There is always something more sinister when a case involves children and I think the overwhelming sense of dread as to just what has happened to them, has you in two minds as to whether we really want to know.

The Greenway is a solid start to a new crime series to me. It has a likeable protagonist that has left me wanting to read more and get to know him better. This isn’t a fast paced crime book but the author’s storytelling gently pulls you in whilst holding your attention throughout. I enjoyed my first introduction to DI Mike Croft and look forward to more in the series.

The Greenway is available to purchase from Amazon. (Please note that link used is an Amazon affiliate link).