Kesterley-on-Sea is full of secrets.
Some are darker than others; many are shameful. One is even deadly.
Andee is an ex-detective whose marriage is breaking up. So when a young female student disappears without trace, she throws herself into the search.
Meanwhile, the town's beloved Rowzee Cayne has just discovered that she is terminally ill, and doesn't want to burden her family and friends with the news.
Andee and Rowzee don't know it yet, but their journeys are going to help them uncover a secret. One that is going to affect them more than they could ever imagine.
The Moment She Left by Susan Lewis was published in hardback by Century on 28 July 2016 ~ welcome to my spot on the Blog Tour.
The prologue of The Moment She Left begins two years before the main part of the story and the reader is introduced to Jessica Leonard. Jessica is a young student, living away from home in London. She's a successful musician, a much-loved twin sister and an adored daughter. She's making her way home to Kesterley-on-Sea to visit her family when she receives a text message. She alters her journey, enters a house in Holland Park, and is never seen again.
Two years later, Andee Lawrence has agreed to look further into Jessica's disappearance. The police investigation was fruitless, with no leads and no sightings of Jessica, and even though she has been spotted on CCTV, in the same area of Holland Park, many times in the months before she disappeared, there are no clues as to why she was there.
Meanwhile, Andee's marriage is falling apart and her children are barely speaking to her, she also has her own personal tragedy to deal with .... and it's strangely similar to Jessica's case.
Rowzee Cayne, retired schoolteacher and beloved by the inhabitants of Kesterley-on-Sea has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. She's determined that she will deal with this in her own way, she wants to keep her dignity and to protect her loved ones.
The Moment She Left is a crime story, a novel of family relationships and a study in small community bonding. Susan Lewis expertly pulls these threads together to create a well-structured, intriguing story with robust and vividly painted characters. The story examines how secrets can change the course of many lives and how one split-second decision can affect so many people.
Andee and Rowzee are very different characters yet are similar in their strengths and integrity. The author does not shy away from complicated and often controversial subjects, but deals with them with care and empathy.
The Moment She Left is a compelling read, Susan Lewis engages the reader from the prologue and the story is well-paced and very engaging. A recommended read.
My thanks to the publisher for the review copy and the invitation to take part in the Blog Tour.
Join Susan Lewis as she talks about The Moment She Left in this short video:
Susan Lewis is the bestselling author of thirty-five novels. She is also the author of Just One More Day and One Day at a Time, the moving memoirs of her childhood in Bristol.
She lives in Gloucestershire
To find out more about Susan Lewis, visit her website www.susanlewis.com
Join in on her Author Page on Facebook
Follow her on Twitter @susandlewis
Susan is a supporter of the breast cancer charity Breast Cancer Care: www.breastcancercare.org.uk and of the childhood bereavement charity Winston's Wish: www.winstonswish.org.uk
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