While My Eyes Were Closed by Linda Green

While My Eyes Were Closed
By Linda Green
Published by Quercus (5 May 2016)
ISBN: 978-1784292812

Publisher's description

One, two, three . . . Lisa Dale shuts her eyes and counts to one hundred during a game of hide-and-seek. When she opens them, her four-year-old daughter Ella is gone. Disappeared without a trace. The police, the media and Lisa's family all think they know who snatched Ella. But what if the person who took her isn't a stranger? What if they are convinced they are doing the right thing? And what if Lisa's little girl is in danger of disappearing forever?

My verdict
When My Eyes Were Closed is another missing child book, keeping up with the current psychological thriller trend. But this focuses on the event through different characters' viewpoints, including that of the abductor. And this certainly provides a more intriguing approach than many of the other books out there.

It's every parent's nightmare - you take your eyes off your child for a few minutes and they vanish. This is what happens to Lisa Dale when she plays hide-and-seek in the park with her four year old daughter. But the person who has taken her daughter has their own reasons for doing so - or so they think.

When My Eyes Were Closed is well plotted and does have some good twists and turns. There are many different themes running through the book - it's not just a case of who has the missing child and how her family are going to get her back. You actually know who has the child from early on. This is a character-driven novel, rather than a fast-paced thriller, looking at the story behind the abductor and the devastating impact of grief.

It's an interesting read and a book that I would recommend for psychological thriller fans who want something a little bit different to the mainstream.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.