Saturday, September 7, 2019

The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld



Title: The Child Finder
Series: Naomi Cottle #1
Author: Rene Denfeld
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Release Date: September 5th 2017








Three years ago, Madison Culver disappeared when her family was choosing a Christmas tree in Oregon’s Skookum National Forest. She would be eight years old now—if she has survived. Desperate to find their beloved daughter, certain someone took her, the Culvers turn to Naomi, a private investigator with an uncanny talent for locating the lost and missing. Known to the police and a select group of parents as The Child Finder, Naomi is their last hope.

Naomi’s methodical search takes her deep into the icy, mysterious forest in the Pacific Northwest, and into her own fragmented past. She understands children like Madison because once upon a time, she was a lost girl too.

As Naomi relentlessly pursues and slowly uncovers the truth behind Madison’s disappearance, shards of a dark dream pierce the defenses that have protected her, reminding her of a terrible loss she feels but cannot remember. If she finds Madison, will Naomi ultimately unlock the secrets of her own life?







"No matter how far you have run, no matter how long you have been lost, it is never too late to be found." 

I had The Child Finder in my To-Read-List for quite a while. I was in the mood for something suspenseful and this one fit the bill perfectly. 

I can say that  I was thoroughly captivated. At times, I was so worried for Madison. So sad for the parents of all the kids missing. Sad for Naomi and how she was avoiding living her own life. And to be honest, I even felt sad for the monster.

The book begins with the disappearance of a five-year-old girl, Madison Culver. A girl, who loved to read, enjoyed nature and believed in fairy tales. She was last seen when her family stopped in the forest to cut a Christmas tree. 

Fast forward three years and Naomi Cottle is investigating her disappearance in Oregon’s Skookum National Forest. She has been hired by Madison's parents. She's their last resource. Naomi's reputation precedes her. She's known as the Child Finder. She has found thirty children but not all of them alive.

Why does Naomi dedicate her life to do this? She does it because once she was lost too. She has no recollection of her own life before she was found running by a family of migrants and taken to the Sherif who in turn took her to live in foster care and where she was given the last name of Cottle. During her time living there, she met a boy, Jerome who grows up to be a man.  Jerome's the only man she could love but she won't stay with him. Her calling is to leave and to help those lost children.

Besides Jerome, Naomi's only other friend is Diane which I loved. I also liked Ranger Dave. I hope to see him again.

The Child Finder is a chilling, haunting, page-turner novel. One that absolutely shows you how sometimes bad things happen to good people.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

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