Playdate
""Definitely highly recommended.""
Synopsis:
Lucia went home from school for a playdate with her new friend, Josie. Later that evening, Lucia's mother Elisa dropped her overnight things round and kissed her little girl goodnight. That was the last time she saw daughter.
The next morning, when Lucia's dad arrived to pick her up, the house was empty. No furniture, no family, no Lucia. Who has taken their daughter, and why?
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Review:
As with Dahl's previous book, the excellent 'The Heart Keeper', her latest 'The Playdate' really encompasses the emotional trauma that losing your child would have on a parent. Dahl doesn't just look at the police investigation but also how such an event can rip apart a family. There is lots of mention made to Elisa's past and her estrangement from her family, but the full reveal as to why Lucia was taken wasn't shown until right at the end, although some clues were given to put some of the story together. For some reason I could not warm to Elisa. Maybe it was because I thought her character was weak or maybe because I thought she was hiding something. Whilst as a mother I empathised, I just didn't like her, and despite her actions I preferred the other main character. 'The Playdate' deals with revenge, and how far someone will go to get back what has been taken from them. The plot at times was a little convenient and far-fetched, but 'The Playdate' is still a great book to read. Dahl writes really well and has a real connection with people's feelings and emotions which makes her books slightly different to other crime novels I have read. I didn't want to put this book down and read it in almost one sitting. Definitely highly recommended.