Wendy Dranfield – The Birthday Party

A psychological thriller by an author whose books I have always enjoyed. When I saw that she had a new book out, I knew I needed to read it. The cover drew me straight away, and the synopsis just topped it off, too. Let’s have a look at said synopsis before I give you my thoughts.

Charlotte waves at her mother across the crowded lawn. Little red boots on, cowboy hat crooked over her blonde pigtails, she’s been looking forward to this party for weeks. Moments later, she disappears without a trace…

Kathy Hamilton drives away from her sister-in-law’s pristine-white suburban house in Maple Falls certain she’s left her daughter in safe hands. On the hottest day of the year, a birthday is the perfect excuse to gather friends, family and neighbors around the pool for a barbecue. But when she returns hours later to find her little girl has vanished, her world shatters.

Nobody laughing and drinking in the garden that day saw anything unusual.

Kathy’s eldest daughter is anxious and hardly eating. Is she sick with worry for her sister, or hiding a terrible secret?

The phone rings and rings, but why can’t Kathy get hold of the babysitter?

And is she imagining it, or when her husband rushed from work to join the search, was he wearing a different shirt to the one she saw him leave the house in that morning?

As the temperature rises, and long-buried secrets begin to surface, it’s clear that even the most perfect families keep devastating secrets. But in a town as small as this, is there anyone you can trust?

An extremely well-written book that hooks you immediately. I was that hooked I didn’t want to put the book down until I had got to the very last page. Set in Maple Falls on the East Coast of America and in a neighbourhood in which everyone seems to know the ins and outs of everybody’s life’s there…or so they think.

Wendy Dranfield has created characters that are very real and so well crafted. They aren’t all likeable people, and their flaws are apparent as the story unfolds. Kathy Hamilton, Charlotte’s mum, is a character who I really felt for as she dealt with the disappearance of her daughter and the secrets that begin to be revealed.

Such a twisty and tense story that I found riveting read. With sensitive subjects that are handled very well, making it a thrilling page-turner. The suspense and tension is cranked up all the way to the point that I was on the edge of my seat at times.