Finding Casey by Jo-Ann Mapson

Although Finding Casey is the sequel to Jo-Ann Mapson's 2010 novel Solomon's Oak, readers can still enjoy it as a stand-alone story due to the author's expertise in providing background details whilst not straying from the current plot.

Finding Casey finds Glory, her new husband Joseph and their adopted daughter Juniper living in Santa Fe, New Mexico, having left California behind to make a new life for themselves.

All three of the main characters have troubled pasts; Glory lost her beloved first husband Dan when he died suddenly; Joseph suffers with injuries caused during a shoot-out when he was working for the Police, and Juniper has clawed her way back from homelessness, the suicide of her Mother, and the disappearance eight years ago of her elder sister Casey.

I read Solomon's Oak a while ago and enjoyed it.  I was looking forward to seeing how the story and characters would move on in Finding Casey.

I was not disappointed, in fact I think that this novel is far better than the first, with a stronger storyline and a much faster pace.

Jo-Ann Mapson has cleverly weaved in a parallel storyline; a young woman called Laurel has escaped from what can only be described as some sort of sect to take her very sick daughter Aspen to the hospital.  As Laurel's story slowly unfolds, alongside that of Glory and her family, the reader becomes caught up in what is often quite a tense drama.

This is a powerful story, well written with warm, humorous and engaging characters.  It is about the bond of a family, a little bit of ghost story, some folklore and a hint of suspense.

Finding Casey is published in the UK on 11 October 2012 by Bloomsbury

My thanks go to We Love This Book for giving me the chance to read and review Finding Casey.

Jo-Ann Mapson is on Twitter, and Facebook.

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