I've always been a fan of a crime thriller. There's no genre of book that gets you turning the pages quicker, and staying up later, than one that's in the vein of true crime.

It's been some time since I discovered a book that would capture me as tremendously as Erin Kinsley's debut novel, Found. Starting out with any parents' worst nightmare - the kidnapping of a child - the journey readers are taken on blends a number of different genres, rather than sticking to what were once strict boundaries.

This isn't your typical child goes missing story. In fact, the youngster, Evan, makes his return and escapes a shallow grave early on in the book, when he is heard struggling in the boot of a car at a petrol station, almost a year after his kidnapping.

Instead, it's a police procedural, with drama and frustration at its centre, as well as a family which has gone beyond breaking point and is now simply trying to survive, in a world and a scenario that has become completely foreign.

Kinsley's writing is so pure, that you are immediately brought right to the middle of the heavy emotion and distress that is felt by so many of her characters. They're relatable on every level, despite the situation that they're in being one that is thankfully not something the majority of us have experienced in our real lives.

Considering the heavy subject matter, Kinsley takes care to approach with sensitivity, never sensationalising the crimes that have taken place. There are no detailed descriptions of what happened to Evan during his time, which is the perfect approach. We don't need to know the ins and outs of what was forced upon him; we must respect his silence as a survivor of abuse as if we are a part of his life.

There's a constant willingness on the behalf of the reader for the authorities to catch up with those responsible for Evan's abduction, and for the youngster to eventually come to terms with living as 'normal' a life as he can. Kinsley's respect through her writing, which flicks from one person's perspective to the next, is the reason why. She is skilled, and more than worthy of the success which is undoubtedly going to come her way.

I just now selfishly hope that this isn't her first and last release, but she instead now enjoys a lengthy career - I need more Erin Kinsley novels in my life!

Found, by Erin Kinsley, is available now, and is a BBC Radio 2 Book Club pick.


by for www.femalefirst.co.uk
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