Books Read & Giveaway: Gone Astray by Michelle Davies

When Lesley Kinnock buys a lottery ticket on a whim, it changes her life more than she could have imagined . . .

Lesley and her husband Mack are the sudden winners of a £15 million EuroMillions jackpot. They move with their 15-year-old daughter Rosie to an exclusive gated estate in Buckinghamshire, leaving behind their ordinary lives - and friends - as they are catapulted into wealth beyond their wildest dreams.

But it soon turns into their darkest nightmare when, one beautiful spring afternoon, Lesley returns to their house to find it empty: their daughter Rosie is gone.

DC Maggie Neville is assigned to be Family Liaison Officer to Lesley and Mack, supporting them while quietly trying to investigate the family. And she has a crisis threatening her own life - a secret from the past that could shatter everything she's worked so hard to build.

As Lesley and Maggie desperately try to find Rosie, their fates hurtle together on a collision course that threatens to end in tragedy . . .

Money can't buy you happiness.
The truth could hurt more than a lie.
One moment really can change your life forever.

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

I can't remember the last time that I actually reviewed a non-review book on the blog, mainly because I always feel guilty reading one of my own books ahead of the many outstanding review books waiting patiently for me to read them.  As I mentioned in the debut spotlight feature earlier, I recently met Michelle at the Killer Women festival when I bought a copy of her debut novel Gone Astray which she signed for me.  But not only did Michelle sign my own book but she also signed and donated two copies of Gone Astray to give away as part of the blogiversary celebrations so I wanted to do a review to run alongside.  

When you win a lottery jackpot you expect for your life to be turned upside down as a lifestyle you could only previously dream of is now within your grasp, but you probably don't expect it to turn your life into a living hell.  That's the situation that Mack and Lesley Kinnock find themselves in when their teenage daughter goes missing and all the signs point to their good fortune being the cause behind Rosie's disappearance.  

DC Maggie Neville is a family liaison officer (FLO) who is appointed to stay with the Kinnock's and guide them through every step of the investigation.  For her it's a chance to prove herself to her bosses that she's good at what she does after a previous mistake saw her temporarily suspended from the job she loves so much. I've seen FLO's on TV before with families of victims and missing people but other than that I can't recall reading a crime book featuring them, well not in recent years anyway, so it was
really interesting to see the police element of this story from Maggie's viewpoint as she endeared herself to the family to support them but at the same time use her detective skills to help her colleagues piece together clues that will eventually help them to discover what exactly happened to Rosie.

Although the main storyline revolves around Rosie's disappearance, we do also get a glimpse into Maggie's personal life that shows her being a major support network for her sister and young family to the detriment of her own personal life. This side storyline didn't deter from what was going on but instead let you build a picture of the type of woman that Maggie is. 

It's hard to believe that Gone Astray is Michelle Davies' debut novel as it was an accomplished piece of writing from start to finish.  Michelle drip feeds little snippets throughout which help you to piece together the story alongside the investigation that is taking place.  I cannot wait to read more from her, and hear more from Maggie Neville, in the future so am already looking forward to Wrong Place which is due out in February.

As with all giveaways on the blog, this one is open to existing followers of the blog as a thank you for your support.  The winners will be selected at random and contacted for their postal address to enable me to post the books to them.

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