A Horrifying Account of the Damage Done to a Young Girl by Being Kidnapped and Tortured

Reeve LeClaire was kidnapped at age twelve and held prisoner for four years by a sadist who raped, tortured and starved her. She was lucky to be rescued. Now at twenty-two, she's trying to put her life back together. She's still very fragile, but when another young girl is rescued from a similar situation, Reeve agrees to mentor her.

But Tilly Cavanaugh's rescue is only part of the solution. Three girls have disappeared from Jefferson in the last few years. Now that one has been found, hope rises that the other two will be rescued. Reeve inadvertently learns from Tilly that more than one person was involved in her kidnapping. This knowledge pits Reeve against a monster who controls not only the girls, but their keepers as well.

This is a frightening book. You can hardly imagine how terrifying it must have been to be a the mercy of a sadistic torturer, but Norton does an excellent job describing Reeve's pain and fears. You don't want to read this book alone at night with the lights out.

The book is fast paced. The novel moves from the news events surrounding Tilly's return to the hunt for the kidnapper. The investigation takes Reeve from a terrified victim to a victorious survivor. You can't help but like her and feel a kinship with her suffering.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good mystery, but it's more than that. It's a sensitive psychological portrayal of a very gutsy young woman.

I reviewed this book for Net Galley.