The nowhere child by Christian White
Affirm Press, 2018. ISBN 9781925584523
(Age: Mature 16+) Recommended. Themes: Mystery and suspense. Cults.
When Kim Leamy is approached by a stranger during a break in her
work, he tells her that he believes that she is Sammy Went, a child
who went missing 28 years ago. Kim can't believe it - she has had a
happy home life with people who love her, but once she starts
investigating her past, she finds anomalies that take her off to
Manson, Kentucky. While trying to solve the mystery of the
disappearance of Sammy Went, she faces danger as the secrets of the
town begin to unravel.
This was a compulsive read that grabbed me from the beginning as Kim
begins to try and find out what happened to the little girl Sammy
and why the stranger believes that she is that girl. The atmosphere
of the Southern town of Manson is vividly described and the reader
is taken into the home of the Went family, its problems and the deep
religious beliefs of the Went mother. The religious cult of snake
handling is explored in detail that is quite disturbing. It makes
the story darker and more fascinating than many other mystery
thrillers that are available.
Not for the faint hearted, The nowhere child will have
readers on the edge of their seats as Kim traces step by step the
journey that Sammy Went undertook. There are plenty of red herrings
to lead the reader astray and the final denouement is chilling and
unexpected.
Pat Pledger